Today, I took a friend of mine and went back to the local Hindu temple for meditation and chanting devoted to Krishna.
When we arrived, there was a man who pointed us to a smaller building down a hill. We assumed the meditation was not going to be in the main temple, so we went down the hill. We met up with another visitor (a nursing student) and entered the building. This was a case of miscommunication; the building we were in was the cultural center and was filled with middle/high school students (who seemed interested as to why there were non-indians there.
). As it turns out, the meditation was in the main temple, the man just didn't think we were there for that. Thus, we headed to the temple.
Fun little tidbit, when I asked the kids where the Krishna meditation was, one girl thought I said CHRISTIAN meditation.
When we entered the temple, we did the usual (removed shoes, washed our hands, etc) and my friend was in heaven. It was the first time she stepped foot in a hindu temple in years. The man introduced himself (he wasn't the priest; as it turns out, the preist is out of country) and showed us all around the temple. He then took us to a small room in the hallway where there was a small shrine with a photo of Krishna, a picture of his guru and a photo of a goddess (I don't remember her name, but during chants, I heard Lakshmi and Devi). After a few minutes, two women showed up and the meditation began.
There was 15 minutes of meditation with chanting. Very peaceful, but a little frustrating as I couldn't chant along (not knowing the words). Following the mediation was a reading from a book by the mans guru. I don't remember her name, but the passage was about how she felt the presence of Krishna by giving a poor man money to make a very important pilgrimage. My favorite part was the devotional song everyone sang (this was when the goddess was mentioned) and a candy offering from Krishna was given out to everyone.
Following the meditation was a general puja to the deities in the temple: Venkateshwara, Shiva, Krishna & Radha, Ganesha, Rama & Sita, the Goddess and Mahavira. This time, I took part in the major rituals: the circling of the flaming chalice, fruit offerings, the flame purification and I got to ring the temple bell. Much like after the Krishna Archana, I spoke to the devotees who were there. They were extremely friendly and welcoming of the three of us to their temple. The man told us of the other Pujas and said we were always welcome. With this in mind, we said Namaste and headed out.
This was another great experience with the temple; not only deepening my interest in Hinduism, but also helping me feel more comfortable in that environment. I will definitely be going back and only time will tell what will ultimately happen.
One more thing: before meditation started, we were told that three people who usually show up weren't there. When my friend and I showed up with the other visitor, the man performing the meditation said "Although the other three couldn't make it, God guided these three to us".
When we arrived, there was a man who pointed us to a smaller building down a hill. We assumed the meditation was not going to be in the main temple, so we went down the hill. We met up with another visitor (a nursing student) and entered the building. This was a case of miscommunication; the building we were in was the cultural center and was filled with middle/high school students (who seemed interested as to why there were non-indians there.
). As it turns out, the meditation was in the main temple, the man just didn't think we were there for that. Thus, we headed to the temple.Fun little tidbit, when I asked the kids where the Krishna meditation was, one girl thought I said CHRISTIAN meditation.
When we entered the temple, we did the usual (removed shoes, washed our hands, etc) and my friend was in heaven. It was the first time she stepped foot in a hindu temple in years. The man introduced himself (he wasn't the priest; as it turns out, the preist is out of country) and showed us all around the temple. He then took us to a small room in the hallway where there was a small shrine with a photo of Krishna, a picture of his guru and a photo of a goddess (I don't remember her name, but during chants, I heard Lakshmi and Devi). After a few minutes, two women showed up and the meditation began.
There was 15 minutes of meditation with chanting. Very peaceful, but a little frustrating as I couldn't chant along (not knowing the words). Following the mediation was a reading from a book by the mans guru. I don't remember her name, but the passage was about how she felt the presence of Krishna by giving a poor man money to make a very important pilgrimage. My favorite part was the devotional song everyone sang (this was when the goddess was mentioned) and a candy offering from Krishna was given out to everyone.
Following the meditation was a general puja to the deities in the temple: Venkateshwara, Shiva, Krishna & Radha, Ganesha, Rama & Sita, the Goddess and Mahavira. This time, I took part in the major rituals: the circling of the flaming chalice, fruit offerings, the flame purification and I got to ring the temple bell.
Much like after the Krishna Archana, I spoke to the devotees who were there. They were extremely friendly and welcoming of the three of us to their temple. The man told us of the other Pujas and said we were always welcome. With this in mind, we said Namaste and headed out.This was another great experience with the temple; not only deepening my interest in Hinduism, but also helping me feel more comfortable in that environment. I will definitely be going back and only time will tell what will ultimately happen.
One more thing: before meditation started, we were told that three people who usually show up weren't there. When my friend and I showed up with the other visitor, the man performing the meditation said "Although the other three couldn't make it, God guided these three to us".
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