By Bhurijana dasa
Most devotees’ lives and views on devotional service change as their ashram changes. When several devotees pass through ashram changes at approximately the same time-or even if one respected devotee within a temple changes his ashram-a temple can become affected. My writing down these developmental stages, which is similar for both individual devotees and temples (If the majority of devotees within a temple are in a similar ashram situation, it can be said that that temple is at that particular stage of development.), does not seem revolutionary, for these stages have been perceived and acted upon over the years by many experienced ISKCON leaders. The goal of this paper is to assist leaders in becoming more aware of these stages, and their ramifications, so they may more effectively guide individuals under their care and guide temples to grow into mature, thriving communities.