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ISKCONResolve �Foundations Course��

Hosted by

Presented by

Vraj Vihari dasa (co-director)

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Aligning…

“You have dedicated your life for Krsna and therefore you should be ideal. We are introducing Krsna Consciousness movement for the harmony and good will of humanity. But if you yourselves are suffering from the very ills we are trying to remove, how can the people be influenced favorably? Stop this fighting, tolerate.”

--Srila Prabhupada

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To nurture a healthy spiritual organization we need to align our internal ISKCON Culture with our external preaching message

Say: So why are we doing this training? What is the motivator?

Highlight the primary drivers for this training:

Nurture healthier organization: Conflict management and collaborative problem- solving leads to healthier organizations

Develop our employees: OPM developed collaboration competencies for SES now indicated in their position descriptions and EPAPs. Many other levels of management and even non-supervisory employees now have collaboration as part of their EPAPs.

DOI’s mission and goal for alignment. We are using collaborative problem-solving principles for our internal AND external cultures. That way we are better able to speak with one voice to the public, stakeholders and our partners.

This is particularly important for DOI in light of the work we do with external stakeholders and partners where we’ve always been expected to work collaboratively. That same expectation has not always been there for our internal organizational work. But we can’t work collaboratively with our externals if we’re not working well internally.

SAY: We’d like to acknowledge the benefit and challenge statements that you shared in your applications. The topics and tools we’re learning in this class will be a helpful foundation to address many of the issues you referenced; and we’ll also share resources you can use to continue growing your conflict management skills.

(2 min)

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Srila Prabhupada’s Quotes

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In Breakout Rooms….Discuss the Quotes

Which quote(s) struck you are particularly significant??
How can these quotes influence your personal life?
How should these quotes impact Srila Prabhupada’s ISKCON Society?

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What Causes Conflicts?

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Srila Prabhupada’s Quotes

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It is Always a Matter of Perspective

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We don’t see the world as it is—

we see it as we are

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Assumptions

A Main Cause of Conflict in ISKCON and in the World

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Assumptions from Sastra

What are some assumptions we read about in Sastra?

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Making Wrong Assumptions Based on Birth, Association, Dress, and more

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Assuming Someone is Supreme Who Isn’t:�“My dear servants, you have accepted me as the Supreme, but factually I am not”

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Assuming Someone is Supreme who Isn’t:�“Yet we are moved to wonder about the existence of someone more powerful than you”

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False Assumptions About Ourselves

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False Assumptions About Ourselves

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Assumptions that Offend

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Assumptions that Offend

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Assumptions that offend

When Visvarupa took sannyasa, Sacimata thought that Advaita Acarya had persuaded Him to do so. Therefore she accused Advaita Acarya of this, which was an offense at His lotus feet. Later Lord Caitanya induced His mother to take the dust of Advaita Acarya's lotus feet, and thus her vaisnava-aparadha was nullified.

CcAdi 17.71

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Assumptions that offend

In the city, when Satrajit's younger brother Prasena did not return from the forest with the jewel, Satrajit became very upset. He did not know that his brother had been killed by a lion and that the lion had been killed by Jambavan. He thought instead that because Krsna wanted that jewel, which had not been delivered to Him, Krsna might have therefore taken the jewel from Prasena by force and killed him. This idea grew into a rumor, which Satrajit spread in every part of Dvaraka.

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Assumptions Closer to Home

What assumptions have you made that were incorrect or others made about you?

What assumptions do people in your country make about ISKCON devotees?

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Srila Prabhupada Writes:

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu warned His devotees not to commit vaisnava-aparadha, which He described as the mad elephant offense. When a mad elephant enters a beautiful garden, it destroys everything, leaving a barren field.

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Ladder of Assumption

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How to Deal with Assumptions?

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1. Remember we have 4 Defects

The first defect is that he must commit mistakes. To err is human.
Another defect: to be illusioned. Illusion means to accept something which is not.
The third defect is the cheating propensity.
Lastly, our senses are imperfect.

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Walking Down: �Check Your Assumptions

Describe what happened.

What did you do?

What is the first thing that popped into your head?

What meaning did you assume?

What data did you focus in on?

What are some other possible explanations for their behavior?

SAY: Let’s hear an example from you to help us practice walking back down the ladder and check our assumptions.

Maybe there’s a time your child came home past curfew, or maybe your coworker passed you in the hall and didn’t make eye contact.

**Ask: Raise your hand if you have a recent example where you ran up the ladder of inference?

Facilitator post: Raise your hand if you have a recent example where you ran up the ladder? (Raise hand icon is at lower right of Participant panel area)

SAY: Tell us briefly what happened.

Now let’s walk down the ladder together with these questions:

What did you do? (Action)
What is the first thing that popped into your head?
What meaning did you interpret, or what did you assume?
What data were you focused on?
Now, what might be some other explanations or motivations for this person’s behavior?

Transition to Impact vs Intent discussion

Say: Disentangling impact from intent can help us check our assumptions and those of the other person.

(5 min)

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4. When you find yourself making an assumption….

Be Curious!

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5. In general, especially when dealing with devotees….

Assume good intentions

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Don’t Assume Your Intention Matches Your Impact!

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Aware of	Unaware of
My intentions	Other person’s intentions
Other person’s impact on me	My impact on other person

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Bhagavad-gita 6:34 and 35

Arjuna says: The mind is restless, turbulent, obstinate and very strong, O Krsna, and to subdue it, I think, is more difficult than controlling the wind.

Krsna replies: it is undoubtedly very difficult to curb the restless mind, but it is possible by suitable practice and by detachment.

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Srila Prabhupada Says

A devotee is as thoughtful as a non-devotee is speculative

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What Are The �Other Causes Conflicts

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What Causes Conflict?

Least Difficult to Resolve

Most Difficult to Resolve

Information

Resources

Structures

Values

Relationships

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Conflicts about Information

1. Lack of sufficient information (we speculate about information)
2. Different interpretation of data (the price is too high/it just right)
3. Different views on what information is relevant (e.g. how to measure progress of a yatra?sankirtan scores? Beautiful Deity worship?).

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Conflict over Resources

Conflicts over material resources:

Money
Manpower

Conflict occurs when resources are not enough
Example:

Should we order a new Deity outfit or buy a new sankirtan van?
Do families ever fight over money? ☹

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Conflict over Relationships

We all know this one!

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Conflict About Structures

Organizations (like ISKCON) often have conflicts due to members concerns over:

Access to power
Access to resources
How decisions are made

Conflicts about the authority of the Guru vis-à-vis the Temple President
Is the Namahatta center under the Temple or not
Competing goals such as caring for devotees Vs spreading Krishna consciousness.

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Conflicts involving Values

Values are formed by Guru/Sadhu/Sastra but also by life experiences and culture.
Example: One devotee thinks personal develop is most important, another thinks for preaching all sacrifice can be made
Conservative vs. liberal
Conflicts involving values are most difficult to resolve because challenges to a value are taken as a threat to a person or group’s identity.

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Three additional Temple-related causes of conflict

Large investments of identity
Unclear expectations
Tension between the temple as a place of peace / shelter versus a base for preaching/outreach.

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Shared Reflection

Share in the Chat

What are you taking away from today’s class?

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See you Tomorrow!

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A) What is your word for conflict?