Leaders can do the following if a couple approaches them for help with their marriage

[krsna 3]

How leaders can help strengthen the Grihastha Ashrama

<!-- the main section of the post goes here -->From Vaisnava Family Resources

 

Leaders can do the following if a couple approaches them for help with their marriage:

 

1) Meet with the couple and see if the nature of the problem is something within your personal realm of expertise. If not be prepared to make a referral to someone that can help. The GVT has published a directory of possible Vaishnava counselors and therapists.

 

2) First look for a local mentor couple that can meet with the couple.

 

3) If there are no local mentor couples, consult the directory of Vaishnava counselors in North America along with the couple to find someone to contact.

 

4) Encourage the couple to make a connection and to give you feedback about the outcome.

 

5) Couples will need to be prepared to pay a fee for counseling services. Many of the devotee therapists have special rates for other devotees, but there still must be a willingness to invest in their marriage.

Leaders can be proactive in helping support couples and families in their community by:

 

1) Arrange to have the Grihastha training course taught in your community on a regular basis, and take it yourself and other such courses.

 

2) Identify couples in the community that have been married for at least 8 years and who have strong healthy marriages. Ask them if they would be willing to get training as a certified mentor couple in their community. Once you have identified potential mentor couples, contact the GVT to arrange for such training or to find where other Mentor couple trainings are scheduled.

 

3) Sign the “Pledge of Support for the Grihastha Ashram in ISKCON” and encourage new couples to seek premarital counseling and attend the Grihastha training course.

 

4) If you are a Grihastha, make sure that you and your spouse are a good role model for others in the community. If there are problems in your own marriage get help. It is so important that the leaders of our society have strong healthy marriages. The benefits from this will reverberate out to others in the community just as the negative energy from a strained marriage will also affect others in the society.

 

5) If you become aware of marital problems with any of the local leaders, it is imperative to have that person seek counseling and that there will be visible improvement in their situation. If the leader is able to fully rectify his/her position he/she will be able to continue to provide spiritual leadership to the community. How the situation is ultimately dealt with can serve to deepen the faith in all the parties involved.

 

6) Become familiar with the Grihastha Vision Team’s website and offerings at www.vaisnavafamilyresources.org.

 

7) The Grihastha Vision Team has several brochures available on Grihastha related topics e.g. parenting, choosing a suitable spouse, fathering, etc. Contact us to have these brochures available to your congregation.

 

8) Make your sadhana is a priority if it isn’t and teach by example to your spouse and others the importance of hearing, chanting and intense prayers to advance, etc., as well as good relationships.

2005 ISKCON GBC Resolution

 

417. Endorsement of the Grihastha Ashram and Community Development

[statement]

The Governing Body Commission expresses its support and encouragement to devotees serving in the grihastha ashram.

We affirm that the grihastha ashram is a valuable institution that brings great benefit. Those who sincerely serve Lord Sri Krishna and Srila Prabhupada in this ashram will make tangible spiritual advancement.

We also affirm the importance in ISKCON of nurturing strong marriages, encouraging harmony in families, improving the welfare of children, ensuring the protection and care of women, discouraging divorce, and enlivening grihastha men and women in Krishna’s service.

We hereby pledge ourselves, and will encourage our regional and other senior leaders, to:

· Promote an environment conducive to successful Krishna conscious family life in ISKCON temples and communities

· Encourage on-going support for Vaishnava families in ISKCON communities through Krishna conscious grihastha activities, community preaching programs, and other initiatives

· Educate congregations, and particularly youth, about the spiritual and social value of Krishna conscious marriage based on Shrila Prabhupada’s teachings

· Confront and correct any preaching or teaching that undermines the health and strength of the grihastha ashram, or discriminates against spiritually based grihastha life

· Engage in thoughtful and meaningful discourse about the responsibilities, privileges, and goals of grihastha life with devotees who are considering marriage

· Ensure that marriages facilitated under our care prioritize the needs of the individuals involved, and the health and longevity of the marriage

· Encourage professionally developed pre-marital counseling for all potential grihastha couples

· Match newly married devotees, whenever possible, with mature, spiritually strong couples who can act as mentors and supporters

· Be trained personally, as appropriate, in marital counseling, communication and conflict resolution skills