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Betrayal of the Spirit: My Life Behind the Headlines of the Hare Krishna Movement

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Author: Nori Muster
Publisher: University of Illinois Press
Category: Book

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Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars

14 reviews
Sales Rank: 569225

Media: Paperback
Edition: Reprint
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 256
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 9 x 6 x 0.7

ISBN: 0252065662
Dewey Decimal Number: 294.5512
EAN: 9780252065668
ASIN: 0252065662

Publication Date: June 30, 2001
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
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Customer Reviews: Read 9 more reviews...

1 out of 5 stars

Another Devotees Opinion July 23, 2002
10 out of 14 found this review helpful

I am a practacing devotee of the Hare Krishna movement, and have been so for the past six years or so. I would just like to say that I can relate to a lot of things that have been described in this account. These things indeed happened in the past and I have personaly experienced a lot of the situations described by the author. I have experienced this for myself practicaly. However, there have been many people who have described this book as an unbiased inside account of what the Hare Krishna movement is all about. Well I would just like to say that I have been a member of this movement for a similar amount of time as the author and I must say that this account is far from balanced account.
I personally sympathize with the author of this book, and I am upset that she was treated in this way. These things should simply not be going on in the movement. But I must say that I have too experienced these negative attitudes of some devotees in the movement. But what about the sincere genuine devotees who are nothing like this. What about the positive side, the actual real side of what the movement is all about. For example, Nelson Mandella has praised the Hare Krishna Food For Life effort in Africa. What about the devotees who are selfless and sincere. This book does not serve justice for them or the actual essence of the movement. I feel hurt when I read this book because it only shows a negative highly biased side of the movement as do many anti-cult books have done in the past, which simply focus on the horror stories which happened in the past. Sure these things happened but there will sadly always be bad apples in any organisation. I find it highly un-inteligent that someone can judge the whole society based on the activities of a small percentage of members. I heard the other day that one Christian Priest in America would engage in beating young girls as they where tied up in order to discipline them. Would you condemn the whole of Christianity by this individuals behaviour? Would you condem the whole of Islam because of the September the 11th atrosities? Of course not, but I have found people doing the same by condeming this movement due to the behaviour of certain criminals which have nothing to do with and completely contradict the whole Vaisnava philosophy.
I as a practicing member of this movement I would just like to say that I feel very sad and hurt that people in this day and age are condeming this movement because of some of the negative incidents that have happened in the past and some of the problems that are occuring at the present time. Surely there are problems in the movement, and maybe this book will help address them, but I find it unbelievable that inteligent people write off the whole society, while having no real knowledge of what the movement is all about. I am refering to people who have read this book and have concluded that this movement is some sort of evil sick cult. I find this very ignorant.
This movement is a genuine spiritual culture which goes back thousands of years and I think that modern society will surely benefit by embracing it instead of moving further and further down the road of materialism, which im sure is not the right direcion.

1 out of 5 stars

great example of what a true seeker should NOT do July 3, 1999
6 out of 11 found this review helpful

This is a great book for teaching by example what one should NOT do if they wish to see Lord Krishna's smiling face behind His material nature's bewildering veil. A word of advice to any true seeker-which the author could not follow due to whatever excuses she makes here- is never quit, never quit, never, never, never quit!. :)

5 out of 5 stars

An example of those who follow and those who don't. June 10, 1999
7 out of 9 found this review helpful

This book is an account of what happens when those who claim to follow the world's oldest scriptures (the Veda's) are actually acting to the contrary. I am sure there are many good Hare Krishna and other Hindu devotees who are sincere, but in all religions there seem to be a group of people who are hypocrites. No religion should be condemmed because of these people, or all religions would be victims. The book tells about those who are good and strict devotees who don't strive to do sinful things and also accounts those who don't exemplify a real Hare Krishna and are not following the Vedic scripture, but just claim to be. This is account that could be applied to all religious paths and their followers. It draws a picture of both sides of a coin and looks at what scholars call the "world's oldest religion" and what other people call a "cult".

1 out of 5 stars

Moving story but not insightful January 8, 1999
1 out of 2 found this review helpful

The book narrates a moving story which shows from a personal point of view how difficult it is not to conform to mainstream culture. But it is not insightful about the larger Vaishnava movement in America or in India. For that read Klostermaier's ``Hindu and Christian in Vrindavan'' or his newer ``A Short Introduction to Hinduism.''

5 out of 5 stars

Clearly a Masterful Retelling of Challenging Times December 26, 1998
2 out of 3 found this review helpful

Nori Muster's book, Betrayal of The Spirit, can help other people to understand their own journey better. Throughout, she has acknowledged what happened when certain souls took free rein with C & M, control and manipulation, and the high prices paid by the many when these abuses took place. The fact that she was able to grow in relationship with her father during this time is a tribute to them both, and those parts of her story make the reading well worth the price of the book. For anyone who ever wonders about life in ANY heirarchal spiritual organization, PLEASE read this book. You will gain information to help you keep both your eyes and hearts open for the rest of your days. Whilst some people will do darn near anything in the name of adoration and their own glorification, we also learn about the deep essential goodness which other souls will always support. Thank you, Ms. Muster, for doing this world a favor and bringing this book to life. The seeds which you have planted will reap a strong harvest on the side of Truth for long, long time to come.