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Self-Realization
Fellowship |
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I have to admit that before this encounter I was a bit nervous about going to the temple. I know we've been studying the Hindu religion in class and I feel that I have a basis of knowledge which to connect with the experience, but yet I felt on edge. It worried me that I would offend the Hindus of the Self-Realization Fellowship because I wasn't familiar enough with their beliefs and that I would look out of place. I couldn't have been more mistaken, I am very happy to have had the opportunity, I think going early on will help me have a better understanding of the information we cover in class. Coming from a Christian background I am used to an ornate and large area of worship devoted only to God, the Holy Family, and all the saints. When I arrived at the retreat center I was a bit confused because rather than seeing a traditional Indian temple, I saw a colonial, two-story white house… was I in the wrong place? Apparently not, upon entrance we were greeted and asked if we were from the college then taken to seating set aside for us. The seats we in a small room, only four rows of about ten seats in all, and the only decoration was a moderate focal point in the front with six picture of yogis, deities, and even… Jesus! Needless to say, I was shocked. Apparently the Self-Realization Fellowship is a Hindu based congregation, but they honor all religions and feel that all faiths are connected, therefore they respect religious leaders such as Jesus and Muhammad. The atmosphere was calming and quite music played in the background as we took our seats, then after an introduction, beautiful chanting started. The room was filled with voices all saying the same thing for about five or ten minutes. The congregation was referring to themselves as waves looking for the ocean, asking to become part of the ocean. This chant reminded me of what we talked about in class, us the atman as raindrops looking to be reunited with Brahman the ocean. Then they began to chant about being a lighthouse for all and in the quite I closed my eyes and reflected on the bible school song I was taught years ago, "This Little Light of Mine." This memory helped me to begin to connect my beliefs with those of this temple, we all felt we had a special light to give, theirs' a lighthouse, mine a candle. In between chanting were meditations, many at least ten minutes in length. It was amazing, the feeling in the room during meditation, it was as if everyone was creating a special spiritual energy that made the room seem very comfortable and full of peace. After a series of chants and meditation, a couple of the men would read passages from the bible and how they are viewed in Hindu beliefs as well as readings from the writings of Paramahansa Yogananda. These reflections and meditations lasted about an hour and then everyone got up and went into the other room to greet and say goodbye. The beliefs of the Self-Realization Fellowship are closer to Hindu than any other religion, but many of the people who come there to worship are from Christian backgrounds so many incorporate that belief into their faith. The master that this particular temple looks to is Paramahansa Yogananda, a yogi of Raja Yoga, who began his life in spiritual leadership as a teenager. Through looking to this master, the fellowship strives to find the meaning of the Self. They look for spiritual enlightenment through many beliefs, one of the main ones being that we are all infinity in motion, but true infinity is motionless. We are all a balance of atoms, some with predominantly good energy and some with predominantly bad… this energy is what I see as God and the Devil respectively. They practice raja yoga because they feel that this spiritual enlightenment will help them to fulfill stillness, as Psalms 46:10 suggests "Be still, and know that I am God." I have learned a lot from this experience, you can't judge everyone on a first impression, and you don't have to be Hindu to look for a spiritual stillness. Before this experience I only pictured Hindus as of Indian decent, I realize now how little I knew before this course. The people of the Self-Realization Fellowship were people I may see everyday and take for granted that they are Christian due to their looks, I like to be proven wrong in positive ways, it helps me to be more knowledgeable and accepting of others. I plan on trying to incorporate small amounts of meditation, raja yoga, everyday. I think that searching for this stillness will help me be closer to my faith and more in tune with my beliefs. Learning about this faith may have helped me to become stronger in my own. |
| Created by Laura Ellen Shulman |
Last updated: July 2002
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