BAPS

Last month I went to Atlanta with my Mom and Dad and my Brother Tyler. We were invited to go to the opening of one of the BAPS Temples or Mundirs. A little background. . . A couple of years ago my Dad was asked to write the music for an IMAX film called Mystic India. In preparation for this, he was invited to come to India and live among and participate with the people in BAPS including their Prophet and all of the Devotees and Swamis. BAPS is to the Hindu religion as Mormons are to Christians. They are part of the Hindu religion but they believe in a more recent Incarnate God that the other Hindus do not recognize in the same way. They believe that there have been a small number of times that God himself has come to Earth incarnate. BAPS believes that the most recent time was Bhagwan Swaminarayan. The film was about him while he was young and his name is Nilconte. They also believe that they have a living "prophet" who gives them guidance. This is obviously an elementary explanation but it is a truly fascinating faith.
Anyway, my Dad was accepted with open arms and given blessing by their prophet and it was a truly high honor. So, fast forward to to now, he is still great friends with the people that he met through this project. They invited us to come to the opening of their Mundir in Atlanta and they also had a special screening of Mystic India. I was so excited to get to experience their culture myself as my Dad had told me so much about it.
They are so devoted and are some of the most humble, friendly, and committed people I have ever met! We were privileged to visit their Mundir (temple) and were also invited to go and participate in their Sunday services! It was one of the neatest experiences I've had. I almost forgot that I was in the U.S.! The Men and Women sit on different sides of the meeting room. They sit on the floor and the Men sit in the front of their side and the women sit further back on their side. The Swamis are dressed in orange "robes" for lack of a better word. They are like catholic monks in that they have taken a vow of celibacy and they commit their lives 100% to God. They make no money and are committed to teaching and denying the temptations of "natural man." They are devoted to caring for the Idols that live in the temple. They dress them each morning and feed them three meals a day. They even put them to sleep for naps and at night for bed. The idols are Swaminarayan as well as several of their prophets. They also have an idol of "Harichrisna." They believe that these Idols are physical representations of the individuals but that their spirits are actually put into them so that they are living Idols. Anyway, the Swamis come to the services on Sundays and they teach. They sit on the "stage" and they have people that are behind them, also on the floor that play instruments. They play hand drums and they chant prayers. The women are seated further back and on the side furthest away out of respect for the Swamis vow of celibacy. Later in the services they light candles and wave them in a circular motion while they worship their idols. From what I understand this is an ancient tradition because when they didn't have electricity they would have to hold a candle and circle it around the idol in order to see the idol. It was really neat to be able to participate in these rituals.
The ladies are so beautiful! They wear colorful dresses and decorative and embellished "dots" on their foreheads. The men also wear red dots on their foreheads. I could go on and on and on! What most impressed me was how welcoming and friendly they were and how willing to explain things and answer my questions. What I also found interesting is that when I asked them about their missionary efforts they said that they try to help people to become better and stronger in their own religion and that they do not really try to get others to share their beliefs. They said that their beliefs are a part of who they are and a part of their heritage. Their goal is to make themselves better, to change the world by first changing themselves.
They have high moral standards including not drinking alcohol or smoking. They also teach abstinence before marriage. They truly are some of the most humble, ready to serve people I have ever met. My dad said that while he was in India there was a man that drove him around for three weeks, always picking up his bag for him and opening the door. He later found out that man was a Doctor in his every day life. They each have positions that they are asked to fulfill in their "church" according to their strengths and abilities. One of the women I met was in charge of making Leighs for the Idols every Sunday. Another thing that I found interesting is that the women get together once a month to learn and share skills and talents and the enjoy each others company. Sounds a bit like Enrichment night! They also have an incredibly organized youth program including Mentors for each young man or woman. They are very organized and their services, from what I understand, are the same everywhere.
If you have a Mundir near where you live you should definitely go and take a tour. The building is amazing! Every stone is hand carved in India and there is not a single nail! Each piece locks into place. They also have festivals and I have been told that the Harichrishna Temple has a festival of colors in Provo. If you have a chance you should go and check it out!