ISKCON GOVERNING BODY COMMISSION SOCIETY
Registration Number S/74662 under the West Bengal Societies Registration Act, 1961 P.O. Shree Mayapur Dham, Dist. Nadia, West Bengal 741313
MINUTES OF THE MIDTERM GENERAL MEETING
KANPUR, UP, OCTOBER 15-21, 2018
Section 100: APPOINTMENTS
Resolved:
That the following Global Duty Officers are hereby reappointed for a further one year term:
1. Devakinandan Das (Singapore)
2. Gauranga Das
3. Govardhan Das
4. Hanuman Das
5. Mathuresa Das
6. Mukunda Madhava Das
7. Praharana Dasi
8. Srivas Das
9. Srivas Pandit Das
10. Tapana Misra Das
11. Tirtharaj Das
Resolved:
That the following devotees are appointed as Global Duty Officers:
Dhanvantari Swami
Kaunteya Das
Resolved:
Tapana Misra Das is appointed as Zonal Supervisor for Iran
Resolved:
The GBC Body authorizes the creation of an ISKCON in-house law department headed by a General Counsel. Devakinandan Das (Singapore) is designated General Counsel of the ISKCON in-house law department until the 2020 Annual General Meeting.
Section 300: INTERNAL ISKCON
The Midterm General Meeting of the ISKCON GBC Society shall take place from October 11-17, 2019, at ISKCON Tirupati, India:
07 October Org Dev
08 October Org Dev Rama Vijayotsava
09 October Org Dev Ekadasi
10 October Org Dev/EC
11 October GBC Plenary on Org Dev matters
12 October GBC Plenary on Org Dev matters
13 October GBC Plenary on Org Dev matters Krsna Saradiya Rasayatra
14 October GBC Plenary on Org Dev matters
15 October GBC-Bureau
16 October GBC-Bureau/Pilgrimage
17 October GBC Plenary
(originally passed by Correspondence Vote in March)
Resolved:
1. To increase the maximum number of SAC associate members (these are not core members) from five to fifteen
2. To allow for the SAC to have a secretary who does not have to meet all the requirements of SAC scholarship in order to assist the chair
(originally passed by Correspondence Vote in March)
Resolved:
That the GBC accepts the recommendations and conclusion as found on pages 34-36 of the SAC paper on Rama-navami fasting
The GBC Body agrees that HH Jayapataka Swami's Mayapur residential quarters on the roof of the Lotus Building can be maintained as a memorial once Maharaja is no longer physically present. The GBC Body directs the Mayapur Executive Board to communicate this to Maharaja's disciples, with the proviso that no murti should be placed therein.
Whereas in 2015 the GBC declared the intention of “offering the world the most systematic oversight and guidance,” thereby “adopting a view of the deployment of its commissioners, the GBC Zonal Secretaries as a directional intention; to be gradually realized to optimize coverage of the planet,” which involved moving from a person-based to a territory-centered approach;
Whereas it is time to move towards implementing that vision by consolidating and formalizing stable areas for GBC deployment
Resolved:
That once a territory is formally designated as a “GBC Area,” a GBC shall be appointed for the whole Area as the Area GBC. Both steps shall involve appropriate and collaborative consultation with relevant leaders. That Area GBC would automatically become a co-GBC with all the other GBCs already involved in that Area – unless any of them wishes to withdraw.
All the GBCs presently involved within a GBC Area shall determine, in consultation among themselves, the extent of actual responsibility the Area GBC will take for each country, state or territories in that GBC Area (it is expected that the Area GBC may need some time to assume actual responsibility for the whole GBC Area). To ensure sufficient attention to each Area, the idea, intention and direction is that a GBC accepts a single
“GBC Area” as his or her only zonal assignment, however:
1. It is understood that, as full implementation could require a reasonable transitional period, the GBC may continue for some time to have zonal assignments in more than one GBC Area.
2. In the future, when necessary, and within the same continent, the GBC might appoint co-GBCs for specific countries or even for a full Area.
To optimize oversight of the Area, a priority for every GBC should be to populate the “GBC Area” with Zonal Supervisors.
Yearly zonal assignments shall be published also by GBC Area and shall include all GBCs and Zonal Supervisors involved in each Area.
The configuration of a “GBC Area” can be modified by a simple majority vote by the GBC.
Whereas the GBC wishes to adopt a more rational, effective approach to the deploying of its Zonal
Secretaries, as indicated in the “Directional Statement” 2015 resolution;
Whereas the first step requires identifying coherent “GBC Areas” (independently from considerations on who may be assigned there at present);
Whereas such GBC Areas should be based on criteria such as geographical contiguity, size and nature of
ISKCON presence, size of the local population, potential for expansion, local culture (language, religion, etc.); Whereas the following GBC Areas fulfill the above general guidelines and characteristics Resolved:
The following territories are accepted as “GBC Areas”:
1. Western Africa: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Sao Tome & Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo.
2. Central & Eastern Africa: Burundi, Central Africa Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Kenya, Republic of Congo, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda.
3. Southern Africa: Angola, Botswana, Comoros, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
4. Mexico, Central America & the Caribbean: Belize, Cuba, Trinidad & Tobago (and all other Caribbean countries & territories), Costa Rica, El Salvador, French Guyana, Guyana, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Suriname.
5. Andean Countries: Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela.
6. Brazil: Brazil
7. Southern Latin America: Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay
8. Northern Europe: United Kingdom, Channel Islands, Ireland, Iceland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania
9. Western Europe: France, Belgium, Netherland, Luxembourg, Spain, Portugal, Italy and Malta
10. Germanic Europe: Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Lichtenstein
11. Central Europe and Balkans: Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Kosovo, Albania.
12. South Eastern Europe: Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Greece, Turkey, Cyprus, Israel.
13. Arab League and other Islamic countries: Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Palestinian Territories, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, UAE, Yemen.
The configuration of a “GBC Area” can be modified by a simple majority vote by the GBC.
Whereas, the current law regarding disciples of suspended ISKCON gurus being reinitiated is as follows:
7.5.1.4 When a Suspended Guru May Be Rejected
A disciple of a suspended guru who has severely lost his faith in his spiritual master, or who has developed an offensive mentality towards him, and who is unable to regain his faith, even after hearing many instructions in the matter, may take permission from the spiritual master for release to accept a different initiating guru. The devotee should act in consultation with his local GBC representative. If the suspended guru withholds his permission, then the disciple may seek permission from the GBC Body."
Whereas a simpler procedure for dealing with such situations would be appropriate:
It is hereby resolved that Resolution 7.5.1.4 is amended as follows:
7.5.1.4 When a Suspended Guru May Be Rejected
“A disciple of a suspended guru who has severely lost faith in his or her spiritual master, and is unable to regain faith, even after hearing many instructions in the matter, may take permission from the spiritual master for release to accept a different initiating guru. If the suspended guru is not willing to give permission, then the disciple may approach their local GBC representative and the Guru Services Committee, and present this desire to them. If the GBC representative is either the guru under suspension, or the guru the disciple wishes to be reinitiated by, then the Guru Services Committee will request another GBC member they feel is suitable to take up the matter. If the GBC member and the Guru Services Committee give their permission, the disciple may accept a different initiating guru.”