I just wanted to ask the devotees in this tribe what they think about this ...

Although i joined through ISKCON and became a "hare krsna," I have for a while now not associated myself with ISKCON, although i do visit its temples and i still have friends who i met during my stint in the ashram, travels, etc., who still associate themselves w/ISKCON. This is including the fact that i received harinama & diksa initiation from an ISKCON guru, with whom i have for a while rejected because i have stopped believing in him for reasons i would not like to get into at the moment.

Now i consider myself a Gaudiya Vaisnava. The way i see it, there is a difference--I find it a little difficult to explain, but i think "Hare Krsna" is the hardcore western definition of Gaudiya Vaisnava (because of course, they are technically/ultimately the same). ISKCON's focus is and has been different than my Guru Maharaja's (Tripurari Swami). Despite the changes that ISKCON HAS implemented, it is still more inflexible, there is less focus on the siddhanta (too much concern of "doing it right"), and so much rigidness. Now, this is not to say that there aren't any truly amazing Vaisnavas who are part of ISKCON. But there is an overshadowing. I don't know--maybe this is all carried over from a place in time that was really a turn off.

My Guru Maharaja was ostrasized by ISKCON when Srila Prabhupada left this planet because he received siska from Sridhara Swami. ISKCON still will not formally acknowledge him, although several ISKCON sannyasis have visiting him at his monastery (audarya www.swami.org/sanga/) in the mountains of the redwood forest (roughly two, three hours north of SF). That to me is a problem, but it's a separate issue at hand.

I was mostly curious to see how the devotees in this tribe interpret the meaning of the label "Hare Krsna" and "Gaudiya Vaisnava." If there is a difference to them, and what is that difference? Any other topics in relation to this is certainly welcome.

cd3