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Alexander Randazzo

Into to Religion

Doctor G

20 October 2017

Bhakti Yoga

Bhakti Yoga is a Hinduism practice of releasing the mind and finding self-realization.

The event that I participated in was not an actual practice nor was it really about the art of Bhakti

yoga. We had two guest speakers that came in from Chicago to talk to us about the idea of

consciousness. Before they started talking about this we began the service off with a Hare Krsna

chant. At the beginning of this I didnt really know what I have gotten myself into. I have only

ever been subjected to Christian mass before. The chant was completely different than anything

that I was ever used to. For about twenty minutes all we did was chant Hare Krsna Hare Krsna

Krsna Krsna Hare Hare Hara Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare at the end, one of the

guest speakers talked about how that chant was used to cleanse the mind and bring yourself

closer to peace. There was something beautiful in it too because I felt all the negative energy

come out of me while I was dancing and clapping to Hare Krsna. This is a scared ritual that is

normally used when starting off any bhakti Yoga event and other Hindu events. There was a

drum that was used by a five-year-old kid. They say that this chant can be done with as little or

as many musical instruments as wanted, the only thing that really matters is cleansing the mind.

After the chant, everyone in the room sat back down in their respectful sets as the

speakers stated to talk about the idea of consciousness. She started off with what Rene Descartes,

an idealist, once said about consciousness, I think; therefore, I am,. We are not able to grab,
taste, or even see consciousness, but we know its there because we are able to think. Then she

goes into the idea of throwing theories onto a hypothetical wall. She says science is creating new

theories and having those theories shot down by other laws or natures that do not apply to it.

Then she goes into the idea of what if our pre-accepted theories are wrong; then any conclusions

that would be made from them would be wrong too. She wanted us to be open to accepting new

and different ideas even though if they go against what we already think it correct.

Closer to the end of the session she talks about how we jump forms from people to

people. Otherwise known as reincarnation. The karma that we build up in our life time can be

seen and transformed into our new bodies after death. Humans are different to machines because

we have something that cannot be replaced and that is a soul. A soul is something that doesnt

disappear. The people of this religion believe that there are two different bodies that one

possesses. One is the body itself and the other one is the spirt that rest inside of it. Our outward

bodies transform and grow older while our souls continuously pass from different stages in our

lives. Once the life span of the body is done, the persons soul is transported into a new being.

Our bodies are not what makes us human, what makes us human is the soul that rest inside of us.

Once a person passes on there is no way of bringing them back because the soul has already left

and found a different vessel.

Some souls hold onto their pervious body memories and it can be seen in research. The

guest speaker talked about how there was once a little girl who did not believe her new identity.

She had a house in another village with a husband and family. The parents just thought she was

crazy, but in all reality, she was right. A doctor took them to that village and she was able to

know where everything was at. She noticed that the door was on the wrong side of the house,

which concerned the doctor, but when he asked her supposed husband about it, he told the doctor
that the renovated the house last year and moved everything around. This and other similar

stories are their proof that there is a thing such as reincarnation. A spirts body never dies.

Overall the practice/session was very enlightening to me. Being able to go out of my

comfort zone and see how other practiced their religion put everything into perspective. They

brought up foreign ideas that I would have never thought of on my own. I have learned to

challenge ideas rather than just agreeing to them. The people there were very respectful and

treated us very kindly. I will probably go and check out another service here soon. Also they

gave us a bunch of food that was very good.

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