The tightrope act came crashing down, however, with the release of “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom,” Hollywood’s cruel way of outing Hindu-American children everywhere. Suddenly that gross caricature of my religion forced me to spend countless hours assuring my classmates — and more than one teacher — that people in my religion did not actually dine on monkey brains. But if I bear a grudge, I also owe a debt to the film: In its fallout, I began to question what it meant to be a Hindu.

That question would lead me to encounter profound truth in Srila Prabhupada’s books and the practice of the Hare Krishna devotees I met. ISKCON offered me a way to reconcile the faith of my upbringing with its practical application. I was initiated into the movement at 19, and, eight years later, the principles and values of Krishna consciousness continue to inform everything I do. Being a part of ISKCON means that I have to confront its challenges and shortcomings. Some of these, like knee-jerk accusations that the movement is a cult, seem like the grown-up version of the lunchroom conversations I was forced to endure as a child.

Others, however, require more thoughtful exploration. The over-zealous preaching of the movement’s early converts erected barriers between devotees and the mainstream. ISKCON has come of age walking tightropes, straddling two worlds, experiencing growing pains and learning from its mistakes. — Beliefnet.com (Concluded)