I think I have acquired a spiritual guru… – Dandavats.com
By Auriga
Actually, I think it might be more accurate to say that he has acquired me.
I’m a scientist (astrophysicist to be precise) and I’ve been agnostic for as long as I can remember, so I’ve always struggled with the idea of God and the purpose of religion. But a few months ago, I had a spiritual experience, and since then, I’ve been on a quest to understand the being known as God. To learn more, I’ve studied and participated in various religious systems, and for the past month I’ve been exploring the group commonly known as Hare Krishnas.
This weekend, I participated in a festival organised by the local bhakti-yoga community (bhakti-yoga or Krishna Consciousness is the lifestyle practised by the Hare Krishnas). On the Friday, I attended a lecture. I’ve been attending lectures with the Hare Krishnas every week for a few weeks now, and I often enjoy their talks and find them insightful. As usual, the lecture started with some chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra. It’s a very simple mantra, but I find it incredibly uplifting; the bhakti-yogis tell me the words themselves are powerful: Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare; Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. The chanting normally ends with the arrival of the speaker, and Friday’s speaker was an oldish (just over sixty maybe) monk-looking guy in the standard orange robes.
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