An Authentic Life 1.1 for pdf - Universalist Radha-Krishnaism

The next morning, the storefront temple was
crowded with people who were at the Avalon the
previous night. Many of them were up all night.
Ginsberg recommended this early morning worship
for those coming down from LSD.
A group of devotees continued to open shows
at the Avalon Ballroom chanting from the stage as
people came in. We got in free this way. Then we
danced to the bands. This was our culture, and it was
a way of dovetailing it with our spiritual practices. I
remember one night when Swamiji's personal servant,
a young man from New York named Ronchor drifted
off into the strobe lights saying, "I'm stayinggggg..." as
the rest of us prepared to leave. Swamiji was very disappointed
by this. Ronchor soon left the movement.
For some, the pull of hippie life too strongly conflicted
with Swamiji’s teachings.
Swamiji stayed in San Francisco a couple of
months longer. Sunday afternoons, Swamiji and his
band of disciples went to Hippie Hill in Golden Gate
Park with a sound system and instruments. We
chanted with a large group of people who congregated
there and joined in. Swamiji played cymbals or
a clay drum and led chanting with a microphone. He
was the center of attention. The loving reverence his
disciples showed him caused onlookers to regard him
with curiosity and respect. His presence established
the ancient historical quality of the chanting in the
midst of this hippie gathering.
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