The Temple

Activities

Puja

Deity worship is an ancient form of worship which helps one to develop a personal relationship with God through practical daily activities. The presiding Deities in Belfast are called Radha-Madhava. One of the main functions of the temple is to perform this worship and to provide facility for others to offer worship to the Lord.

We have 6 priests serving our community, many of whom are temple residents.

Many Hindus in Belfast support our temple and we serve the Hindu community by performing traditional rites of passage such as those for birth, marriage and death.

Training and education.

A minority of our members attend residential courses. After their training they are encouraged to become members of our congregation, to get married and to gain respectful employment. A minority may decide to study as priests. Our educational courses provide training in spiritual practice, ethics and character development.

Outreach.

We publish holy Vaisnava literature, esp Bhagavad-Gita and Bhagavat Purana, to offer millenium old scriptures for religious encouragement and orientation to the people.

We engage in glorification of the Lord by praising His names as this is recommended in our tradition. Especially the congregational chanting of the Maha-mantra prayer is described "Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare" This prayer consists of the three main names of God according to our tradition. It is also recommended to say this prayer to oneself. the repetition of this prayer is a millenium old tradition called mantra-medition.

Meditation classes.

As part of our services to students at local universities we hold weekly classes at Queens university on meditation. These workshops cover numerous subjects like the nature of the self, understanding the mind, the importance of inner development and stages of meditation. There are also practical sessions when we perform mantra-meditation where everyone can get involved.

Vegetarian Cooking classes

Six week courses run at the temple, in members homes, and soon also at local community centers. These classes cater for all types of needs and culnary skills. We also stock a range of vegetarian cookbooks which have recipes from all over the world.

Bhajana Band

Our Band performs a variety of traditional Vaisnava Hymns or Bhajanas with classical indian and modern instruments. Using layers of harmonies and catchy beats this multi-cultural group presents a synthesis of numerous musical styles.

Inter-Faith

We view all communities and philosophies who are founded in revealed scripture as representatives of real religious expression. we value and respect the social contribution of other communities and organisations who advocate humanitarian and ethical standards. vaisnava's do not support the idea that any one religion can hold a monopoly on the truth. therefore Vaisnavas are respectful and supportive of people of other faiths and see the need to work together for the benefit of society as a whole.

We have been a part of the Inter-Faith Forum of Northern Ireland since it was started in 1993 and one of our priests is a member of its executive commity.