The Hare Krishna Society

I'd say that for me it means that separation and individuality is just an illusion, albeit a useful one. That in reality we are all different expressions and manifestations of the same life energy, call it God or whatever else.

Bhagavad Gita is amazing!

Yeah
It's not that big.
Really enlightening

Hi Frida, Bill, and Plantagenet,

Thanks for replying. I'm going to offer a few starting points that I hope you'll find helpful.

I think a really good place to start is by reading the Bhagavad Gita (or just "the Gita" if you prefer) There are dozens of editions out there but the one I like is the one by Swami Prabhupada (the founder of ISKON) called "Bhagavad Gita - As it is" I like this one as it contains a nice commentary.
As you may know, the Gita tells the story of Krishna as a charioteer giving counsel to Prince Arjuna on the outset of a tremendous battle between the Pandavas and the Kauravas. (It's actually part of a much larger epic) During this dialogue Krishna reveals, the nature of consciousness, the self, the universe and the Supreme. And the wonderful thing about it is, it's done it 700 verses over 18 chapters (so it's not like reading the Holy Bible or Holy Koran!)
To help you along the way you might also like to watch a movie version of the Gita. There are lots of them on youtube (mostly Indian but with subtitles)

I'd also recommend learning the Maha Mantra. This is the chant that you'll hear Krishna followers sing:

hare kṛṣṇa hare kṛṣṇa
kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa hare hare
hare rāma hare rāma
rāma rāma hare hare

There are so many ways to do this. I have a particular favourite that I find very beautiful:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdPTqGVbUdg

Don't be worried about making your own up if you want. This is not a catholic liturgy! I sometimes sing along to George Harrison's "Hare Krishna" just because it makes me feel good - it's as good a chant as any!

So start there. See how you feel about it. Then, if you want to start to delve deeper go along and introduce yourself to a local temple (especially on a Sunday - you'll get a good meal if nothing else - we aren't called the "kitchen religion" for nothing!) I attend an ISKON temple myself but I also run a separate Krishna circle and there are lots of non ISKON groups out there if you prefer.

Good luck. Back soon (must dash)

Hare Krishna!

I learnt A LOT from it and it's kinda hard to explain..I have my exams going on so I cant spend much time on TSR but one thing which kinda strikes me right now is that the Bhagavad Gita is one of the few religious(major religions)books in the world which isn't sexist or homophobic and I found it to be pretty logical...
If you're serious about it,you can complete reading it in 1.5 days.It's the most popular book in Hinduism(a religion that's thousands of years old)and you'll learn a lot about the Hindu concept of soul and liberation.
I won't be checking TSR now for a while so I'll take your leave.
Best wishes