Shahana and Hari first met in 2017 in Germany. It was Hari’s Guru’s birthday and followers from all over the world had grouped to celebrate together. Shahana had decided to head to the festival mainly out of curiosity: “I was going through a phase of finding myself and learning about what interests me. I felt I was previously defined by others so wanted to find my own identity” and even though she wasn’t looking for a relationship at the time she felt a strong energy towards Hari as soon as she met him.
Hari, on the other hand, now 5 years into monkhood thought he was going to be a celibate monk for the rest of his life. He had made a commitment to celibacy but felt a strange feeling towards Shahana as soon as he saw her. “I wanted to get to know who she was so I struck up a conversation for no reason, something I hadn’t done in ages and I go, where are you from? While thinking why am I doing this!?”
The pair didn’t interact again for the rest of the festival, but nonetheless became very aware of each other. Hari doubted whether Shahana was even conscious of him, Shahana thought that Hari hated her.
Nonetheless, that summer, Shahana mustered up the courage to send Hari a Facebook friend request, but he never accepted. “I denied her friend request because I had a feeling that if I talked to this girl it would make me give up my monastic life, it would make me lose control”.
Hari had spent the last year questioning his feelings towards Shahana and couldn’t help but feel tension in the air when he finally bumped into her at the yearly celebration: “you have to hold yourself back, you have to control yourself, I went into the second year retreat thinking am I going to see her again, and then we crossed each other and there was so much tension”.
Not knowing how to reconcile with his feelings, Hari consulted his guru, who had also received a letter from Shahana, and realised that monastic life was not challenging or fulfilling to him anymore: “as a human being I know what it’s like to be a monk and I couldn’t see any more challenges and that scared me”. He realised that whilst love would make it difficult to be a monk, it would not have the same effect on his spirituality, if anything it would allow it to blossom further.
Hari sent Shahana a new Facebook friend request and within a few months the two began a long distance relationship, where every few months they would meet up to travel together. When they were not together it was their spiritual bond that kept their flame burning. “Having a spiritual goal and direction gives me something to look to and grounding in our relationship. It has kept us both strong, especially with distance as it helps me to zoom out when I’m feeling emotional” says Shahana who sees their spiritual path together as a powerful binding force between them.
Hari, on the other hand, now 5 years into monkhood thought he was going to be a celibate monk for the rest of his life. He had made a commitment to celibacy but felt a strange feeling towards Shahana as soon as he saw her. “I wanted to get to know who she was so I struck up a conversation for no reason, something I hadn’t done in ages and I go, where are you from? While thinking why am I doing this!?”
The pair didn’t interact again for the rest of the festival, but nonetheless became very aware of each other. Hari doubted whether Shahana was even conscious of him, Shahana thought that Hari hated her.
Nonetheless, that summer, Shahana mustered up the courage to send Hari a Facebook friend request, but he never accepted. “I denied her friend request because I had a feeling that if I talked to this girl it would make me give up my monastic life, it would make me lose control”.
Hari had spent the last year questioning his feelings towards Shahana and couldn’t help but feel tension in the air when he finally bumped into her at the yearly celebration: “you have to hold yourself back, you have to control yourself, I went into the second year retreat thinking am I going to see her again, and then we crossed each other and there was so much tension”.
Not knowing how to reconcile with his feelings, Hari consulted his guru, who had also received a letter from Shahana, and realised that monastic life was not challenging or fulfilling to him anymore: “as a human being I know what it’s like to be a monk and I couldn’t see any more challenges and that scared me”. He realised that whilst love would make it difficult to be a monk, it would not have the same effect on his spirituality, if anything it would allow it to blossom further.
Hari sent Shahana a new Facebook friend request and within a few months the two began a long distance relationship, where every few months they would meet up to travel together. When they were not together it was their spiritual bond that kept their flame burning. “Having a spiritual goal and direction gives me something to look to and grounding in our relationship. It has kept us both strong, especially with distance as it helps me to zoom out when I’m feeling emotional” says Shahana who sees their spiritual path together as a powerful binding force between them.
Shahana and Hari first met in 2017 in Germany. It was Hari’s Guru’s birthday and followers from all over the world had grouped to celebrate together. Shahana had decided to head to the festival mainly out of curiosity: “I was going through a phase of finding myself and learning about what interests me. I felt I was previously defined by others so wanted to find my own identity” and even though she wasn’t looking for a relationship at the time she felt a strong energy towards Hari as soon as she met him.
Hari, on the other hand, now 5 years into monkhood thought he was going to be a celibate monk for the rest of his life. He had made a commitment to celibacy but felt a strange feeling towards Shahana as soon as he saw her. “I wanted to get to know who she was so I struck up a conversation for no reason, something I hadn’t done in ages and I go, where are you from? While thinking why am I doing this!?”
The pair didn’t interact again for the rest of the festival, but nonetheless became very aware of each other. Hari doubted whether Shahana was even conscious of him, Shahana thought that Hari hated her.
Nonetheless, that summer, Shahana mustered up the courage to send Hari a Facebook friend request, but he never accepted. “I denied her friend request because I had a feeling that if I talked to this girl it would make me give up my monastic life, it would make me lose control”.
Hari had spent the last year questioning his feelings towards Shahana and couldn’t help but feel tension in the air when he finally bumped into her at the yearly celebration: “you have to hold yourself back, you have to control yourself, I went into the second year retreat thinking am I going to see her again, and then we crossed each other and there was so much tension”.
Not knowing how to reconcile with his feelings, Hari consulted his guru, who had also received a letter from Shahana, and realised that monastic life was not challenging or fulfilling to him anymore: “as a human being I know what it’s like to be a monk and I couldn’t see any more challenges and that scared me”. He realised that whilst love would make it difficult to be a monk, it would not have the same effect on his spirituality, if anything it would allow it to blossom further.
Hari sent Shahana a new Facebook friend request and within a few months the two began a long distance relationship, where every few months they would meet up to travel together. When they were not together it was their spiritual bond that kept their flame burning. “Having a spiritual goal and direction gives me something to look to and grounding in our relationship. It has kept us both strong, especially with distance as it helps me to zoom out when I’m feeling emotional” says Shahana who sees their spiritual path together as a powerful binding force between them.
Hari, on the other hand, now 5 years into monkhood thought he was going to be a celibate monk for the rest of his life. He had made a commitment to celibacy but felt a strange feeling towards Shahana as soon as he saw her. “I wanted to get to know who she was so I struck up a conversation for no reason, something I hadn’t done in ages and I go, where are you from? While thinking why am I doing this!?”
The pair didn’t interact again for the rest of the festival, but nonetheless became very aware of each other. Hari doubted whether Shahana was even conscious of him, Shahana thought that Hari hated her.
Nonetheless, that summer, Shahana mustered up the courage to send Hari a Facebook friend request, but he never accepted. “I denied her friend request because I had a feeling that if I talked to this girl it would make me give up my monastic life, it would make me lose control”.
Hari had spent the last year questioning his feelings towards Shahana and couldn’t help but feel tension in the air when he finally bumped into her at the yearly celebration: “you have to hold yourself back, you have to control yourself, I went into the second year retreat thinking am I going to see her again, and then we crossed each other and there was so much tension”.
Not knowing how to reconcile with his feelings, Hari consulted his guru, who had also received a letter from Shahana, and realised that monastic life was not challenging or fulfilling to him anymore: “as a human being I know what it’s like to be a monk and I couldn’t see any more challenges and that scared me”. He realised that whilst love would make it difficult to be a monk, it would not have the same effect on his spirituality, if anything it would allow it to blossom further.
Hari sent Shahana a new Facebook friend request and within a few months the two began a long distance relationship, where every few months they would meet up to travel together. When they were not together it was their spiritual bond that kept their flame burning. “Having a spiritual goal and direction gives me something to look to and grounding in our relationship. It has kept us both strong, especially with distance as it helps me to zoom out when I’m feeling emotional” says Shahana who sees their spiritual path together as a powerful binding force between them.
