On Tuesday, our class ventured down to the ISCKON temple in Dallas. This temple was called Radha Kalachandji Temple. We were guided through the temple by a man named Nityananda Chandra who is a devotee of the Hare Krishna temple. Nityananda was a very nice man and was very easy to talk to. He lived right across the street from the temple as do many of the other devotees. They all have plaques on their houses indicating they are a part of the Temple there in Dallas. When we got there he was explaining how they all lived near the temple and that it was a “short commute” every day. He then led us into the temple to a back room lined with shelves where we took our shoes off. From there, we entered the prayer room which was a beautifully ornate ballroom that used to be a basketball gym. There were beautiful paintings seen all around the room depicting Krishna, the god of compassion, tenderness, and love. All these paintings showed Krishna being in the center of the action wether it be with women surrounding him, men, or even animals. What stood out to me the most of what Nitananda was saying was about all the different relationships he was explaining to us and how we think our relationship should be with God. He went through many different types of relationships such as friendly, platonic, maternal and paternal, intimacy, and respect. He said that the most common answer when you ask someone what their relationship should be with God is the respect relationship. He said that this is where you are friends but you are not equal and you put God on a pedestal. I thought that was very interesting because I have not taken into consideration all the different types of relationships many different people have pertaining to God. Also, I thought it was very interesting when he asked us the question “Where do the people go who say they believe in God and act like they do but they are not spiritually connected with God”. We were really not sure how to answer this question but it shows the strong aspect of a spiritual relationship with God and not just the physical aspects of being a part of the Hare Krishna view. He also was saying that mind and body are connected. While he was talking I couldn’t help but notice all the people who came in and got on their stomachs and prayed to the stature of Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. He was clothed in a salmon colored outfit with a sort of hawaiian lei around his neck in prayer stance. He was sitting in a very grand blue chair with flowers and lions surrounding him. People would go up and touch him and pray face down on the ground. They were paying hommage just as if you were in a Catholic church walking in and performing the ritual before you sat in your chair. People went from that statue to the sides of the prayer room where they would hold a bag. I wasn’t sure what these were until our guide said it was similar to Rosary beads that Catholics use as good will and fortune. They would hold the bags and shake them lightly during prayer. Also what I found was interesting was there was a Mother and her child in the prayer room and she was writing on a white board and teaching her child prayers. That was unique because this child was very young and already had the beads around his ankles. After we toured the ornate prayer room we went to the restaurant in the temple. It was surprisingly really good being that I have never tried Indian food before. I had a spicy callow flower dish with rice and it paired nicely. I would eat Indian food again in the future. Overall, it was a good visit to the ISCKON temple in Dallas. It was very informative and I love emerging myself in other ways of spirituality and culture. It was an experience I will never forget thanks to Nitananda Chandra.