A Visit to Laguna Beach Hare Krishna Temple

Today I went to the Laguna Beach Hare Krishna Temple. It was a half an hour drive to Laguna Beach from my Aunt Sherie's house. We found the temple. It looked quite small on the outside but in the inside it was pretty spacious. they have a different Aarti schedule however. So Dad and I decided to take a stroll down Coastal Hwy by the ocean shore. We went into these shops near by. This one shope had very expensives tables and statues of whales and other fish. They had a nice Killer Whale statue but they wanted $30,000 for it. That's ridiculous. Im glad I am living simply and not wanting mundane items like that. Then we walked into this Candle shop and they sold little statues of Budhha. But then i noticed that had these deity pendents. I desperately looked in that box for Krishna. But I did not find Him. I asked the lady who worked there if she had Him but she said she ran out. She only had Ganesh. I felt so disappointed. I really wanted Krishna. Maybe next time I go there they will have Him. I actually want a necklace with Krishna on it. I need to check our gift shop in LA and see if they have one of Him.

Anyway I went back to the temple. I asked the devotees how I get in to the temple to see the 12 noon Aarti since their main door was locked. I had to go in through the side door. When I went in the Deity doors were open. And there I saw beautiful Pancha Tattva Deities. When I saw Lord Chaitanya I could not get over how beautiful He looked. I found myself just staring at Him. I felt stunned and couldn't move almost. I sat down to chant some extra rounds while the Aarti went on. After the Aarti was over when I was about to leave the devotees there had offered me some prasadam which was very kind of them. Their prasadam is very good there too not spicey. They had chili on the side so Im glad they did not put it in the prasadam. After I left I could still see Lord Chaitanya's beautiful lotus face not physically in front of me but in my mind and heart. And yet even now at my grandmother's house Lord Chaitanya is still on my mind.

Here are some photos of the temple.