Hare Krishna Monks
[Adventures in Faith: England; 1992] In Birmingham I encountered the Hare Krishna movement. Their members were overflowing with joy.
In Birmingham, our schedule was somewhat flexible. I had some time for personal pursuits. That worked very well for me.
When it comes to anything religious or spiritual, I was gifted with an adventurous nature.
In England, we often handed out pamphlets. It seemed the most fruitful method for pioneer evangelism.
Our handing out pamphlets usually went pretty well. But one day, unexpectedly, we had competition.
Two Hare Krishna monks showed up. They walked up near us, and started handing out their own pamphlets.
With two groups doing the same thing next to each other, it made progress slow for us all.
At some point, I decided to practice some Interfaith Dialogue. I walked over to them and started a conversation. I wished them the best in their endeavors.
The monk, a young man, seemed surprised. I surmised that people gave them a lot of grief. So my kind words were quite a surprise for him.
We chatted briefly, and then he gave me some of his literature. I thanked him. I gave him a few pounds from my own money as a gift, and then I departed.
Later, I wondered who these Hare Krishnas were. I had no experience of them at all.
So I read the literature given to me by the monk.
They seemed to be Hindus.
Their movement seemed to be Hinduism for people not from India. I was interested, as I cherished my friendships with Hindus, as well as my time in India.
I decided to get to know the Hare Krishna group.
Previously, during my time in the Believers group, I found it very difficult to get away. There was always something going on.
But here in England, my small group consisted of just the four of us. And we four just weren’t into relentless group activity.
So I had time. I could get out and explore.
The Hare Krishna Temple had a meeting coming up that I could attend.
I checked with Tom and Yuki-chan and Alexander, to make sure my absence would work with them.
When the date arrived, I headed for the Temple.
After taking several busses, one after another, I arrived.
They had a pretty impressive building. In an inner room, there were about 20 people sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall.
Soon, a robed monk stood up and gave a talk.
His face, like all the other Hare Krishnas I had ever seen, radiated joy. He talked about God-consciousness.
I found his message inspiring and uplifting.
A few weeks later, I was in downtown Birmingham. It was evening.
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a van pull up.
Several Hare Krishna monks got out. They rushed into the open area. Some of them formed a circle, joined hands, and started spinning around the center of the circle. They were chanting and dancing.
Other Hare Krishnas accompanied the dance with cymbals and drums.
Somebody said what they were doing was called “Kirtan.” I found it very enticing. It was full of joy.
Joy.
By this point, I had been a Christian disciple and missionary in four continents.
In every place I had been, I witnessed a famine of joy among Christians. I often observed a sad expression. Or an unnecessarily serious expression.
But the Bible is filled with admonitions to be joyful. Joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit (see Galatians 5:22-23).
We are to make merry.
Where is the merry-making among Christians? Must I look to the Hare Krishnas to find godly joy?
More than any other religious group I had ever encountered, these Hare Krishnas were overflowing with joy.
I wanted spiritual joy like these monks had. Their joy was contagious.
RESOURCES
At Wikipedia:
Birmingham (in England)
Hare Krishna (International Society for Krishna Consciousness)
Kirtan (Kirtana)
ADVENTURES IN FAITH
NOTE. Names, dates, and locations may have been changed.
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