Appeal of the Local Area Council Decision

If a Local Area Council does not support a diksa-guru candidate, the case may be appealed by any interested party to the relevant Regional Governing Body, if existing in the area. If the Regional Governing Body decides that the candidate has met the mandatory qualifications and eligibility requirements for serving as diksa-guru per ISKCON Law 7.4.1.1.4, then the Regional Governing Body may, at their discretion, decide to support the candidate. After notifying the Local Area Council, the Chairman of the Regional Governing Body shall then send a letter of nomination to the GBC Corresponding Secretary accompanied by the decision of the Local Area Council so the process may continue with the Regional Governing Body acting as the nominating body instead of the Local Area Council.

If there is no Regional Governing Body, the case can be appealed directly to the GBC Body. (Any proposal to the GBC Body must be sponsored by a GBC member.)

 

Vows of Guru

A devotee who has been allowed to commence the service of a diksa-guru in ISKCON must publicly take the following vows in a ceremony before Srila Prabhupada's vyasasana. A signed copy of the vows must be filed with the GBC Corresponding Secretary:

 

1. My personal mission as guru in ISKCON shall be the same as the mission of Srila Prabhupada: to flood the world with transcendental literature like Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam and, as Srila Prabhupada said, to "do as I am doing" in establishing ISKCON all over the world.

2. I recognize the GBC as the ultimate managing authority in ISKCON. I support the GBC system and will follow the GBC as Srila Prabhupada desired.

3. I recognize that a bona fide guru is first of all a bona fide disciple, and that in all my actions I shall remain surrendered to Srila Prabhupada's orders and the orders of his authorized representatives.

4. As Srila Prabhupada ordered his followers to serve within ISKCON under the GBC, I acknowledge that for me to represent Srila Prabhupada in my service as a guru in parampara "under his order," I can do so only as a member of ISKCON. If I leave ISKCON I shall no longer act as guru.

5. As a spiritual master, I shall always set a Krsna conscious standard for all devotees by my behavior, which shall be strictly regulated and exemplary at all times. As a public representative of ISKCON, I must always conform with ISKCON policies and never act in any way to weaken or jeopardize ISKCON's world-wide mission. I shall not act in a way to diminish any person's faith in Krsna consciousness.

6. I shall scrupulously study and review all aspiring disciples, and grant initiation only to qualified devotees so as to preserve the seriousness and sanctity of initiation. I shall only accept as disciples candidates who are qualified according to the standards and procedures established by ISKCON law.

7. I shall give my disciples directions and examples in strict conformity with those of Srila Prabhupada. I shall teach all my disciples that they are part of ISKCON.

 

Standards of Conduct for Gurus in ISKCON

 

General Standards

1. Must always set the highest example for all devotees.

2. Must guide disciples to follow Srila Prabhupada s instructions.

3. Must protect and nourish the faith of all ISKCON devotees in their gurus, in Srila Prabhupada, and in Sri Krsna.

4. Must encourage newcomers' faith in ISKCON and protect the faith of existing members.

5. Must not give initiation until the process as detailed in 7.4.1 has been fully completed.

6. Must not canvass for disciples.

7. Must allow all uninitiated devotees full freedom to exercise their right to accept initiation from the guru of their choice.

8. Must allow uninitiated devotees who have preliminarily taken shelter of him the full freedom to change their minds on their choice of initiating guru.

9. Since the guru -daksina received by an ISKCON guru is the property of ISKCON, it must be used for the benefit of the Krsna consciousness movement. All guru -daksina must be kept in a special account, preferably an ISKCON account, with at least two signatures, and accurate account records must be kept.