I've been searchin

Before I get into my goals for this blog I would like to give some background. I have always been inquisitive in nature never taking things for face value. This inquisitive nature compelled me to question the purpose of life. I found myself reading eastern philosophy books such as The Tao Te Ching, The Tibetan Book of the Living and the Dead, and many others covering Buddhism, Taoism, zen Buddhism, and Hinduism. After some time it became apparent that a book wouldn't make me a happier person, I had to practice what was preached. Quite unsuccessfully for sometime I meditated.

This all changed when I started yoga, being that it was more physical it could keep my over active mind at bay. As well, when done properly it can be a great form of meditation. Though my early meditation experiences where mostly seated and involved some form of breath observation, yoga was so much more dynamic. It also allowed emotional tensions in my body to be freed, opening the way for better seated meditation experiences.

One day a friend convinced me to take a class with a new teacher, during the opening of the class she led us through a chant. She built up the syllables so we could become familiar, the chant as it  was sanskrit it caused people some difficulty. As we repeated the words a rhythm developed, like a looped circuit building the energy. I didn't know at the time, but it was a prayer to Ganesha the elephant headed god that clears the path of the soul. More on the gods/goddesses of Hinduism in another post.

Ganesha

Over the next year or so I was slowly introduced into mantra meditation. In the fall of 2012 my girlfriend told me about her coworker who went to a place where people got together had a potluck and chanted. I thought "I've done chanting before, I know what this is about, lets do it!". Arriving that Sunday afternoon at a strangers house, pot of food in hand. We were greeted by some very smiling faces and I felt like a newbie all over again. After eating we headed out back to their yurt, a round semi-portable structure such as this one.

We get inside and there were drums and other instruments. Cheat sheets were handed out with the mantras on them, people start playing and the chanting started.  Suddenly we had been chanting 30 to 45 minutes. Then it's on to the next chant, this goes on for 2 to 3 hours. The only way to describe how you feel after is euphoric. You are awake, aware, but in such a peaceful state; I don't think I batted an eye on the drive back when I was cut off multiple times. This has launched me into strengthening my own at home chanting as well as becoming one of the regulars for the devotional chanting I learned was called Kirtan.

My goal for this blog is simple, explore and learn about Hinduism as a religion, as well as devotional or bhakti yoga. I then hope to take that knowledge and share it, as well as learn to apply it to my life.