History
The Hare Krishna movement has its roots 5000 years ago in the teachings of Lord Krishna, the supreme personality of Godhead. The movement was introduced to the western world by His Divine Grace A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada in 1965 and it rapidly spread all over the world in a matter of 12 years and we have quadrupled in size since then.
Features
The Hare Krishna movement includes mantra meditation (japa), music (kirtan), food (prasadam), philosophy and festivals. It is a part of our daily lives!!
Basic Philosophy
The Bhagavad Gita focuses on the spiritual nourishment of the soul thereby guaranteeing inner happiness and contentment for the sincere practitioner. The simple process is to connect our daily lives with the supreme spiritual personality, Lord Krishna. So the food we eat, the music we hear, the object of our meditation and the basis of our relationships with one another are all centered around the same focal point.
The basic philosophy begins with the understanding that we are not this body, rather we are the conscious spiritual beings residing in these varieties of material bodies resembling humans, aquatics, plants, etc.
The humble sages, by virtue of true knowledge, see with equal vision a learned and gentle brahmana, a cow, an elephant, a dog and a dog-eater….
Bhagavad Gita
Moreover the spiritual beings residing in all these varieties of life-forms are parts and parcels of the supreme personality of Godhead, Lord Krishna. So on the spiritual platform we are all equal and we experience real happiness when connected to our source. This is Yoga which means “to connect” in Sanskrit. Connection of the soul with the supreme through loving devotional service is called Bhakti Yoga.
Real happiness can be derived only from a spiritual source, just like a fish can derive happiness only in water, not outside. We are spirit souls and our happiness comes from loving relationships with other spiritual beings, what to speak of the joy that is experienced when we are connected to the supreme spiritual being, Krishna.
Even our smart devices are so attractive not because of the glass, metal or plastic, but because these objects connect us to another persons. Thus to love and be loved is real spiritual nature.
Practical application
When you walk into the temple especially during Krishna Fest (every Sunday), you will experience the true unity in diversity in our ISKCON Chicago family where 40+ nationalities are represented. We serve together, dance together, learn together and build strong friendships forgetting our superficial differences.
ISKCON Chicago offer many regular spiritual educational programs throughout Chicagoland helping people understand how to become happy and how to live a lifestyle in harmony with the laws of nature.
More than 100,000 plates of Karma Free food is served every year. It is Karma Free because it is pure vegetarian food, cooked with love and offered to Krishna with gratitude, acknowledging Him as its source.
Mantra meditation or Japa is the basis of all our activities. We chant:
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama Hare Hare
We offer regular Meditation Workshops and you can also come to one of our daily meditation sessions every morning from 5:15 am to 7 am at the temple.
We have festivals every week and major festivals practically every month of the year. These festivals are free and surcharged with inspiration to boost are spiritual lives!!
This process of Krishna Consciousness is simply joyful and natural. Thus it very quickly expanding all over the world, to every town and village giving genuine happiness to millions people.
We invite you to experience this happiness. You can start by coming to one of our Krishna Fests at the temple, or a college program near or study group near you.
