I decided to make the two hour drive to Dayton, Ohio this morning to visit the Temple there. I had been trying to go for weeks, but this was the first free day that presented itself.
It was the most calming experience at a Temple I've had since starting to visit them, although upon first entering I didn't think it would be.
I was surprised initially by it's location. Rather than being tucked away down twisting, country roads (as the others have been so far) this temple was smack-dab in the middle of a complex of brand new condos, in what appeared to be a very busy suburb off the highway. It was a Sunday afternoon so I anticipated a bit of a crowd. But when I entered the Temple I was the only one besides the priest there. There were relaxing mantras playing which was quite nice.
What made me think this wasn't going to be a relaxing experience was how small the space was. It is the smallest Temple I've visited so far. It's difficult to give you an idea of the size without a picture but for some reason the smallness of the space was a bit claustrophobic at first.
However, I focused my attention on darshan and spent some time seated in front of Devi Lakshmi (A portrait) and Shri Ram Parivar (White marble murtis). The presiding deity at this Temple is Lord Venkateshwara. Once I focused my mind a little, the surroundings faded and I just focused on my prayers. It was the most involved I've been in worshiping publicly so far, so it was a good experience for me.
I have a Temple token I've been taking with me to all these visits. I touch it either to some part of the temple or I touch it to the floor before one of the deities. I don't know why. I always feel like some objects will carry the "memory" of a place or experience with them. Or maybe it's my way of taking a piece of that place with me.
It was a lot of driving but I'm glad I went. I'm hoping to visit more Temples over the summer.
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