Betrayal of the spirit : my life behind the headlines of the Hare Krishna movement / Nori J. Muster ; foreword by Larry D. Shinn.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Muster, Nori J. (Nori Jean), 1956-

Contributor:

Shinn, Larry D., 1942-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Hare Krishnas--United States--Biography.

Hare Krishnas.

International Society for Krishna Consciousness.

Muster, Nori J. (Nori Jean), 1956-.

Muster, Nori J.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (254 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Urbana, Illinois : University of Illinois Press, 2001.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Combining behind-the-scenes coverage of an often besieged religious group with a personal account of one woman's struggle to find meaning in it, Betrayal of the Spirit takes readers to the center of life in the Hare Krishna movement. Nori J. Muster joined the International Society of Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON)--the Hare Krishnas--in 1978, shortly after the death of the movement's spiritual master, and worked for ten years as a public relations secretary and editor of the organization's newspaper, the ISKCON World Review. In this candid and critical account, Muster follows the inner workings of the movement and the Hare Krishnas' progressive decline. Combining personal reminiscences, published articles, and internal documents, Betrayal of the Spirit details the scandals that beset the Krishnas--drug dealing, weapons stockpiling, deceptive fundraising, child abuse, and murder within ISKCON-as well as the dynamics of schisms that forced some 95 percent of the group's original members to leave. In the midst of this institutional disarray, Muster continued her personal search for truth and religious meaning as an ISKCON member until, disillusioned at last with the movement's internal divisions, she quit her job and left the organization. In a new preface to the paperback edition, Muster discusses the personal circumstances that led her to ISKCON and kept her there as the movement's image worsened. She also talks about "the darkest secret"-child abuse in the ISKCON parochial schools--that was covered up by the public relations office where she worked.

Contents:

Title; Copyright; Contents; Preface to the Paperback Edition; Foreword; Preface; People in This Volume; 1 ISKCON: The Krishnas' International Society; 2 Unexpected Requirements; 3 Going Solo into ISKCON; 4 My Zonal Guru; 5 Jonestown Fallout; 6 A Spiritual Disneyland; 7 Drug Busts, Guns, and Gangsters; 8 Who's Watching the Children?; 9 The Gurus Start World War III; 10 The Storm Within: The Guru Issue; 11 P.R. Publications Promote ISKCON; Photo Gallery; 12 Ramesvara Crashes; 13 The Revolution of Guru Reform; 14 P.R. Bails Out of L.A.; 15 1986: The Year of Crisis; 16 The Budget Axe

17 The ISKCON World Review Crosses the Line 18 Six Months Out of Print; 19 Women's Lesser Intelligence; 20 Moving On; Appendix; Notes; Glossary; Bibliography; Index; Author Information

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9780252022630

0252022637

9780252094996

0252094999

OCLC:

869735761