by Tapati Japa or rosary beads made from the wood of the Tulasi plant, a sacred relative of basil. Devotees of Krishna chant the mahamantra on each of 108 beads, keeping track with the “Krsna” or 109th bead. Each day a devotee is required to chant 16 rounds on the japamala, an ancient form of meditation. I was so relieved to be on the bus, headed for St. Louis. We passed through Hannibal, home of Mark Twain. I barely noticed because my mind was filled with memories of my brief visit to the temple back Full post …
Tag: Patriarchy Across Cultures
Patriarchy Across Cultures: Living in the Material World
July 19, 2009
by Tapati Krishna and Arjuna on the battlefield, used on album by George Harrison I can blame it all on George Harrison. I and my friend Carolyn were teenagers of the early 1970s, devoted to the music of the Beatles and of George Harrison in particular. We were also searching for the meaning of life, like countless others before us. We combed the library for information on various religions and encountered books like A Soul’s Journey by Peter Richelieu (unfortunately out of print now). We learned about reincarnation, astral bodies, karma, and transmigration of Full post …
Connecting The Dots: Patriarchy Across Cultures
July 12, 2009
by Tapati Hare Krishna temple in St. Louis, 1975. Tapati is in the center front row in a blue print sari. When a friend referred me to the blog “No Longer Quivering,” she knew why I would resonate with the posts I found there. Like me, she had once belonged to the Hare Krishna Movement, though years after my own involvement. We immediately saw many parallels between the lives of Christian women following the Quiverfull teachings. Vyckie and Laura described their past lives in ways that sounded like many of the young Hare Krishna Full post …
Michelle says, Never enough babies!
