One question the teens in Australia asked was, “ If God is omnipresent , what is the need to build big temples to worship Him. The cost of construction is quite large ; plus after it is built you have the ongoing cost of monthly maintenance . Couldn’ t all that money be spent in a better way ?” I asked them a question in response : “Since God is omnipresent, shouldn’t we able to experience Him equally everywhere? For example, God permeates this room . By looking intently at the room shouldn’ t you be able to experience God? In theory you should .” I then asked, “ How many of you can see God permeating this room?” All present had to admit that they could not . Practically speaking , God’s omnipresence is a marvelously subtle form of consciousness , too subtle for most of us to experience unless we are skilled in meditation . I continued by giving the following series of analogies with other objects that are difficult to see . If we want to see a distant galaxy , we must go to an observatory and use a powerful telescope. To look into the nucleus of a cell, we go to a laboratory and use an electron microscope. Similarly, to see God, we go to the temple and experience God through the sanctified murti, or statue , of the Deity . Temples – and particularly the murtis within them – can connect us with the Divine because they are especially sacred. There are three reasons for this: construction , consecration and continuous daily worship. A temple is designed and built according to strict rules laid down in scripture. This governs what shrines are included in the temple , the shrines’ location and the overall dimensions of the temple . Consecration occurs through the powerful ceremony called kumbhabhishekam, during which a large number of priests perform elaborate rites for days on end . Thereafter begins the routine of daily worship conducted by professional priests. In these three ways, the temple and the murtis within them are sanctified and endowed with potent energies . Hindu temples in every corner of the world offer Hindus an achievable way to experience God’s sacred presence. Divinity’s presence uplifts those attending the temple , inspiring them to bring forth and perpetuate traditional Hindu culture in the form of sacred music , art and dance . As such, the temple becomes the hub of religious life in the surrounding Hindu community and thus is undeniably relevant to modern life . Four Noble Pursuits: Hinduism’ s
Posted on: Tue, 10 Sep 2013 17:33:55 +0000
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