Description of organisation

The ISKCON-temple in Vanløse in a part of the chartiable organisation ISKCON Danmark, which is a branch of The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). The temple is a center for vedic culture and philosophy. When we speak of vedic, we refer to an ancient southeast-asian civilisation, which laid the foundation for hinduism and buddhism, and which is the fountainhead of practises such as meditation, yoga and vegetarianism. The purpose of the center is to share knowledge and values for the benefit of people in general, teaching a healthier and more meaningful way of life on the basis of the classic Indian Veda-texts (from which the word ’vedic’ is derived).

The temple has existed since 1979 and the intended audience is the broad population in general. Our activities are open for everyone. Several hundred people regularly visit the temple, and attend the various events happening. This includes temple ceremonies, classes on yoga and meditation, vegetarian cooking courses, festivals, training in vedic philosophy, practice of classical vedic music, personal counselling and courses on organic gardening in connection with the temple’s own organic allotment.

The temple, which is run by a group of resident monks and volunteers, who receive education, food and housing in exchange for their participation and service, function as an ashrama, which is something like a ’monastary’. The life in the ashrama is simple, regulated and usually a good experience, that a person can benefit from for the rest of ones life. Besides for a lot of practically applicable knowledge the members of the ashram get trained in self-control, inner peace and satisfaction, develop good habits, eat healthily and practice tolerance in relation to others. Such an ideal life is great gift to everyone who wants to develop their personal character, and naturally we have a continuous flow of youths who get attracted to join the temple and stay for shorter or longer periods of time. Most of the time, the temple have a couple or more volunteers staying, often from other countries in Europe and the rest of the world. Volunteers participate in the templelife on equal footing with the permanent residents, and render service while receiving training and education.