Opinion
How a schoolyard bully set me on my spiritual path
By Bhakta Dasa
In 1960, when I was seven, my family moved from the Netherlands to Australia, where I attended a Catholic primary school in Noble Park Victoria.
Coming from a Catholic background, I was fascinated by Lord Jesus and the Christian saints, and I was deeply moved when I received a statue of St Anthony for excelling in religious education class. One of my favourite activities was serving as an altar boy, assisting the local parish priest for 6am Mass – a role that connected me to something greater than myself.
Reverend Bhakta Dasa at work on one of 20 large paintings inspired by the book’Bhagavad Gita - As It Is’.
A significant event occurred in grade 5. After being punched by an older boy, I fell and experienced an out-of-body sensation, as though I was viewing myself from above. This mysterious moment, which I now interpret as a spiritual experience, left a lasting impression.
My love for art continued in high school, where I won several awards. I even created a sculpture that captured my out-of-body experience. Later, I pursued a fine arts diploma at Caulfield Technical College.
By the 1970s, I was immersed in the counterculture, disillusioned by world events, and began a spiritual quest that led me to explore prayer, meditation and yoga with prominent gurus and spiritual teachers from all faith traditions, including Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who taught transcendental meditation (TM) and the TM Siddhis, which I pursued in earnest for some time.
In 1978, my journey brought me to the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), a path I’ve followed now for over 45 years.
Alongside my wife, Bhakti, I have lived a householder monastic life as a Hare Krishna devotee, dedicated to serving God. I became a minister in the Vaishnava Hindu tradition and continued to integrate art into my spiritual practice.
Today, my spirituality and art have merged, and I see art as a form of worship and contemplation.
My current project involves creating 20 large paintings inspired by the book Bhagavad Gita – As It Is, a core Hindu text translated and purported by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. This exhibition, based on the teachings of Lord Krishna, explores themes of duty, devotion and self-knowledge, emphasising devotion to God as the path to enlightenment.
Reverend Bhakta Dasa (Albert Lange) is a respected Vaishnava Hindu priest in the Hare Krishna movement, artist, and former chair of the Faith Communities Council of Victoria, Victoria’s peak interfaith body.