Finding the divine: growing up in a (Hindu) cult in America

Finding a spiritual anchor in a culture of constant self-(re)making

This is the first of several essays on the place of Indian religions in the American spiritual tapestry. The observations below are based on personal experience and reading. Many will undoubtedly disagree with specific assertions, which is the nature of the search for truth when conclusions are based on intuition and qualitative observation.

Introduction

At Salesforce’s annual conference in San Francisco, two Hare Krishna devotees stopped me while I was running late for a packed session.¹

They offered a ‘free’ book on the power of mantra chanting in exchange for a donation, which I reluctantly took before rudely running off; I had all the books they wanted to push at home. The book also advertises exclusive interviews with John Lennon and George Harrison, who urge you to develop a chanting practice.

I grew up in this movement, once seen as a full-fledged cult. Now, it’s just a benign one. But I feel at home with my people in these encounters because I grew up among them.

I’m a product of th…