{"id":8378,"date":"2010-04-15T22:02:06","date_gmt":"2010-04-15T21:02:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/?p=8378"},"modified":"2010-04-15T22:02:06","modified_gmt":"2010-04-15T21:02:06","slug":"food-for-meditation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/?p=8378","title":{"rendered":"Food for meditation"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Chelsea Pula<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Bhakti is fast becoming the best source of free vegetarian food on campus. As Ajay Mangal, CC \u201910, remarked, \u201cIf you\u2019re allergic to delicious, this [Bhakti] isn\u2019t the place for you.\u201d However, Bhakti is about more than food\u2014it is also one of Columbia\u2019s strongest spiritual communities.<\/p>\n

Two beloved Hare Krishna monks run the club: Dave, who never fails to throw in a joke, and Pandit, a true sage and father figure. Although some students might be initially worried about the strange orange outfits these monks don, their open-minded approach to all backgrounds, all belief systems, and all faiths quickly breaks down these barriers. Bhakti reaches in seconds what it sometimes takes years to achieve in diversity training: a safe environment that is free of judgment, allowing students to be themselves, without stress. It\u2019s kind of refreshing after spending time on the campus of, reportedly, the country\u2019s second-most-stressful university, in the midst of the world\u2019s busiest city.
\nStudents put up walls\u2014through habits, silence, or attitude\u2014when stressed. After Bhakti removes the cause, a flood of pent up emotions, feelings, and ideas rush out that most of us don\u2019t even realize are there. Bhakti gets students talking about hushed issues like mortality, anger, or fear, without generating the heat of debate or pushing a religion.
\nBhakti\u2019s voice in the exchange of ideas is meaningful. In addition to offering a safe environment, Dave and Pandit offer a perspective relatively unknown to the typical westernized student. The level of difference in worldview is epitomized by Krishna, the supreme deity of this sect of Hinduism. He is not portrayed as a martyr suffering for human sins, nor is he spiteful or angry; rather, Krishna is always smiling and often portrayed dancing and playing a flute. This contrast effectively opens the minds of students and offers an alternative way of looking at life, which is invaluable, regardless of one\u2019s personal belief system. Students are trying out more than just new food\u2014they\u2019re trying out a new mindset.<\/p>\n

Minds are not just opened by Bhakti\u2014they\u2019re also strengthened through meditation. Every Thursday morning, students are invited to a 7 a.m. meditation session, followed by breakfast. The monks recommend that everyone meditate every day and warn against the dangers of an untrained and unfocused mind. Practicing daily meditation reduces stress and chance of illness, while improving sleeping habits and the ability to concentrate. Meditation instruction is the most useful service offered by Bhakti because it is almost never taught in the western tradition.<\/p>\n

Yoga is another strong program offered by Bhakti. Although yoga is now one of the more popular forms of exercise in the States, the form most commonly practiced is westernized and has lost touch with many of the tradition\u2019s original values. As Pandit explains, yoga is not just exercise\u2014it literally means \u201cunion with the divine.\u201d Though yoga classes are common in New York City and even on campus, few maintain the spiritual approach that is so essential to proper practice of the exercises.<\/p>\n

I suppose I might have been intimidated myself if I\u2019d known beforehand about all of Bhakti\u2019s spiritual activities. All I knew\u2014like most of us, I suppose\u2014was that there was a vegetarian cooking class on Tuesday nights. Upon discovering just how delicious this food was, I started coming every week.<\/p>\n

But even those who only attend meetings for the free food inadvertently reap the benefits of Bhakti. \u201cOne way we express love for others is by cooking for one another. At every Bhakti meal, we show love to each other through cooking, but also to Krishna by offering food to the divine,\u201d says Pandit. Eating is essential to life, and when practiced with a vegetarian\u2019s reverence for life and a respect for a higher power, strengthens the community and the connection with the divine and is thus another form of yoga. Perhaps it is these qualities that make the food prepared during Bhakti especially delicious and warming.<\/p>\n

Bhakti is a celebration of life and peace. It\u2019s a chance to slow down, eat, and ponder life\u2019s mysteries\u2014something that we tend to cut out of our schedules as we become increasingly ambitious. As the programs continue to flourish, one thing is becoming clear: students come for nourishment of the body and stay for nourishment of the soul.<\/p>\n

The author is a Columbia College first-year. She is the secretary for Core Foods and a board member of the Bhakti Club. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Chelsea Pula<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bhakti is fast becoming the best source of free vegetarian food on campus. As Ajay Mangal, CC \u201910, remarked, \u201cIf you\u2019re allergic to delicious, this [Bhakti] isn\u2019t the place for you.\u201d However, Bhakti is about more than food\u2014it is also one of Columbia\u2019s strongest spiritual communities<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8378","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-iskcon-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8378","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8378"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8378\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8378"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8378"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8378"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}