Every Experience Changes Us: A Vedantic Monastic on Her HDS Journey
Brahmacharini Durga reflects on a transformative year of study, community, and interreligious insight at HDS
“I came to religious life with the question of what was meaningful about existence,” said Brahmacharini Durga, a monastic in the Ramakrishna Order and a special student at Harvard Divinity School (HDS) during the 2024–25 academic year. “Which, I think, is a pretty common question for most people.”
Before becoming a monastic, Durga pursued graduate studies in anthropology, conducting archaeological and ethnographic research with a Native American tribe.
As she struggled to uncover meaning in rituals and stories, she recalled encountering “this beautiful monk from my tradition, a shining little old man. And he really made it clear that there is a spiritual reality behind everything.”
That realization ended up transforming her life.
Durga is a member of the Ramakrishna Order, a global Advaita Vedanta tradition founded by Swami Vivekananda. Her convent, located in Santa Barbara, California, reflects the Order’s pluralistic spirit.
“In our temple, we have a picture of Sri Ramakrishna at the center,” she said. “But then we have these enormous paintings my size of Jesus and Buddha that are also worshiped every day.”
Her journey to Harvard Divinity School, she explained, was unplanned. She was admitted as a special student and spent the last academic year immersed in coursework, community, and reflection. She also appreciated being able to study with professors who are also spiritual practitioners.
“I was really glad to be able to take contemplative prayer with Stephanie Paulsell, to take Buddhist stories with Professor Hallisey, and a chaplaincy class with Chris Berlin—people who are really serious about their spiritual tradition. That makes a difference in how you teach.”
Brahmacharini Durga, a monastic in the Ramakrishna Order and a special student at HDS during the 2024-25 academic year, smiles during a talk in Swartz Hall. Photo by Marisol Andrade Muñoz.
Durga took eight classes during her year at HDS, all through the Divinity School. Among those courses was “Introduction to the New Testament” with Professor Benjamin Dunning—a particularly valuable experience, as she had struggled to read the Bible on her own. Engaging with the Gospels in an academic setting helped make the material feel more approachable and meaningful.
Her interest in Christianity has deepened as she’s encountered it through her monastic community and HDS peers.
“Most of the people in my convent and most of the Western monastics were Christians,” she said. “My teacher is very big on the idea that we're not really a proselytizing or converting religion. People should love and respect their ancestry and take whatever jewels there are from their tradition and appreciate them.”
Courses on Buddhist and Christian traditions helped her reflect more deeply on the incarnational dimensions of both.
“Buddhist stories and Howard Thurman were my favorites,” she said. “They were both so wonderful because they helped me understand Buddha and Jesus as incarnations.”
Outside the classroom, Durga found spiritual community in the HDS choir and at Noon Service.
“I was in the choir, so I went to almost every Noon Service. It was a very welcoming environment. I liked seeing how different people approach their religious traditions and what they want to share.”
She was also struck by the openness and sincerity of the community at HDS.
“I was surprised to meet so many sweet people who want to help other people from different traditions,” she said. “I think it was all valuable for broadening my heart, in terms of the incarnations, and also to see where different people are in different traditions.”
Though she’s returning to her convent, Durga will carry with her the community, conversations, and classes that shaped her time at HDS.
“I feel more comfortable with Christian teachings and people,” she said. “I was pretty comfortable with Buddhist teachings before, but I'm more comfortable with a broader variety of Buddhist teachings.”
When asked what she’ll carry forward from her time at HDS, Durga paused before answering:
“Every experience changes us. We're never the same, ever. I feel like my heart has grown bigger—for people and for ideals. And really, what more can you ask?”
Banner photo by Marisol Andrade Muñoz.