I am no atheist. At least, I was never brought up that way. But I do take time and ponder over THE question (which is considered kinda sacrilegious in my household) - Is He there or isn't He?
I've wondered why people take the trouble to visit temples. I once asked my mother this, and got told off for asking smartass questions in a place of worship. Okay, my point here was, when most households do have a room dedicated to Pooja/Punaskaar, from where does the need to visit temples arise? Is it because God frequents temples more than he visits households? Or is it just the plain tradition originating from years past, which has stood the test of time?
One such answer that makes sense to me is that temples are where good vibrations interfere. Huge temples built over thousand years ago have multiple chambers which diminish in size as one progresses towards the deity in the very last chamber - which is invariably lush with vibrations. But for the priest's mantras, the chamber would be deathly quiet, yet exuding a sense of calmness and composure. Over a period of time, a confluence of good vibrations adds to the aura of a temple - which is immediately felt. For example, there's this temple called Dhyanalingam, located some 30 km west of Coimbatore which remains one of the best places I've meditated at.
I said I was no atheist. I am no agnostic either. I do have an idea of what God is.
Okay, so most people claim they find peace after a visit to a temple. So do a lot of people, after a round of meditation. Let's equate the two sentences.
Meditation initiates vibrations, which as we theorized, are already abundant in a temple. Man feels content thanks to the positive vibrations, leading me to believe that God is nothing but good vibrations. In another sense, God is everything that is good and pure.
I do believe in a God who is not a person or an idol. It does not make sense that God could be a man/woman - and all men and women are bestowed with identical bounties when they take their place in the world. When man is in a spot of bother, he appeals to someone who he believes is a higher force with greater wisdom - like when we may approach our elders whom we believe would be the right foil to provide help/advice during testing times. Very simply put, man looks for someone better than him.
At this point, I am reminded of my Physics teacher at High School - S.Venkatraman, who often used to quiz us on matters of religious/mystical significance even as he wrote down the equation for Newton's Law of Gravitation on the board. He was one who believed that a person is often his own solution. "Aham Brahmasmi", he declared, when a curious student asked him whether he believed in God. 'Yes', he said, 'I am God. You're God as well. Vaazhve thavam. Anbe Sivam' (Life is meditation, Love is God)
I can't help but agree with him. When you meditate, the vibrations you sustain are so powerful that they kinda give you the feeling you've been teleported to some place else, and believe it or not, most people are almost always infested with a new kind of vigour after a quiet session all alone. Maybe this is why elders advise us to close our eyes and count upto 10 everytime we get hot under our collars. Bluntly, after a round of meditation, you're better than you.
In Hindu culture, it is common to see children being addressed Parabrahma - for they've only just stepped into the world - and well, honestly, I can't think of a better example for something so good and pure. Therefore, children are God. It is only once they grow up that they learn about malice, slander, jealousy and hordes of other vices - so they kinda lose their 'good and pure' status. It is when we meditate that God makes that quick entry into us, and for a few moments we are at peace with ourselves. But not for long, right?
When you pay your respects to elders, you're merely acknowledging the fact that they've been through the mill, through life (which is perhaps the strictest teacher you could find) and therefore they are closer to realization of the self than we are, which is why I guess most people look up to saints like Ramana Maharishi or The Divine Mother. They're so full of good vibrations, so you could suppose they WILL have been wiser than the average man, given any point in time. Of course, a corollary follows that God is any equation with a Lim wisdom --> infinity applied.
So much for vibrations eh? For all you people who thought they could only be transverse or longitudinal, here's some gyan. It doesn't come often from me ;)
I've wondered why people take the trouble to visit temples. I once asked my mother this, and got told off for asking smartass questions in a place of worship. Okay, my point here was, when most households do have a room dedicated to Pooja/Punaskaar, from where does the need to visit temples arise? Is it because God frequents temples more than he visits households? Or is it just the plain tradition originating from years past, which has stood the test of time?
One such answer that makes sense to me is that temples are where good vibrations interfere. Huge temples built over thousand years ago have multiple chambers which diminish in size as one progresses towards the deity in the very last chamber - which is invariably lush with vibrations. But for the priest's mantras, the chamber would be deathly quiet, yet exuding a sense of calmness and composure. Over a period of time, a confluence of good vibrations adds to the aura of a temple - which is immediately felt. For example, there's this temple called Dhyanalingam, located some 30 km west of Coimbatore which remains one of the best places I've meditated at.
I said I was no atheist. I am no agnostic either. I do have an idea of what God is.
Okay, so most people claim they find peace after a visit to a temple. So do a lot of people, after a round of meditation. Let's equate the two sentences.
Meditation initiates vibrations, which as we theorized, are already abundant in a temple. Man feels content thanks to the positive vibrations, leading me to believe that God is nothing but good vibrations. In another sense, God is everything that is good and pure.
I do believe in a God who is not a person or an idol. It does not make sense that God could be a man/woman - and all men and women are bestowed with identical bounties when they take their place in the world. When man is in a spot of bother, he appeals to someone who he believes is a higher force with greater wisdom - like when we may approach our elders whom we believe would be the right foil to provide help/advice during testing times. Very simply put, man looks for someone better than him.
At this point, I am reminded of my Physics teacher at High School - S.Venkatraman, who often used to quiz us on matters of religious/mystical significance even as he wrote down the equation for Newton's Law of Gravitation on the board. He was one who believed that a person is often his own solution. "Aham Brahmasmi", he declared, when a curious student asked him whether he believed in God. 'Yes', he said, 'I am God. You're God as well. Vaazhve thavam. Anbe Sivam' (Life is meditation, Love is God)
I can't help but agree with him. When you meditate, the vibrations you sustain are so powerful that they kinda give you the feeling you've been teleported to some place else, and believe it or not, most people are almost always infested with a new kind of vigour after a quiet session all alone. Maybe this is why elders advise us to close our eyes and count upto 10 everytime we get hot under our collars. Bluntly, after a round of meditation, you're better than you.
In Hindu culture, it is common to see children being addressed Parabrahma - for they've only just stepped into the world - and well, honestly, I can't think of a better example for something so good and pure. Therefore, children are God. It is only once they grow up that they learn about malice, slander, jealousy and hordes of other vices - so they kinda lose their 'good and pure' status. It is when we meditate that God makes that quick entry into us, and for a few moments we are at peace with ourselves. But not for long, right?
When you pay your respects to elders, you're merely acknowledging the fact that they've been through the mill, through life (which is perhaps the strictest teacher you could find) and therefore they are closer to realization of the self than we are, which is why I guess most people look up to saints like Ramana Maharishi or The Divine Mother. They're so full of good vibrations, so you could suppose they WILL have been wiser than the average man, given any point in time. Of course, a corollary follows that God is any equation with a Lim wisdom --> infinity applied.
So much for vibrations eh? For all you people who thought they could only be transverse or longitudinal, here's some gyan. It doesn't come often from me ;)
16 comments:
honest and pragmatic attempt to demystify the belief system!!!kudos hari!!
I've never tried meditating, i don't believe in God yet though i've always liked visiting temples. But an interesting post. I'm a reluctant Hindu myself, thank to certain inexplicable irrational and sexist rituals. Your post is a spirited defense.
Sudesh, Thanks da. After-effects of a visit to a nearby temple :)
Ramya, sexist rituals? I don't claim to know many rituals, but which ones are you talking about?
Thiru, she said sexist. And oh, thanks for lightening up the mood here - the mokkai had to come from somewhere! ;) And about Goddesses, all in good time. Though I doubt I'd be talking about the kind you'd expect me to talk about ;)
Vibrations ? Really ? Any idea on the wavelength ? Because of you are indeed experiencing vibrations, we could try telepathy. :D We will have to work out the modulation scheme and all that, but I am sure with your technical expertise,we can manage. :P
I believe in God and I don't believe in God. Confusing ? I believe that there is a possibility that there is some divine being (maybe not being, say force. ok not even force. entity ?) that keeps tabs of our goods and bads and punishes or rewards as applicable.
To me, this system makes sense because, that should indeed be the case. But mans definition of good and bad is so muddled these days, even God is confused whether to punish or reward. :)
I do not however believe in God in the traditionalistic sense. I do not believe that you have to donate money to a temple to be blesses. Or make offerings to God. Why would you offer "kozhakottai" and "payasam" (kheer) to God when he has access to all the food he/she wants. Pizza for instance. What say Hari ? Slaughtering animals in the name of God and slaughtering humans in the name of religion, I strictly condemn.
Coming to temples, I have liked visiting them as long as they are not to systematized like some railway reservation counter. I hate temples like that. I like temples that are less crowded and are peaceful.
Another reason to go to temples is if you are tired of looking at chicks in malls. ;)
Karthik, good one there about the wavelength, but I think we should go by frequency here ;)
But on a more serious note, the theory on Vibrations made a lot of sense after I attended a basic course on The Art of Living in June '07. In fact, when Yogis go into deep meditation, they go without food for years - they live on air. And breathing is such a powerful exercise - in the course we were taught an exercise (the details of which I am forbidden to reveal. Yeah yeah, its sacred, sacrosanct, confidential and all that :P) which has been scientifically proved to energize every living cell in the body. I don't know if you've taken the course, but if you haven't I suggest you do. We can then talk in vibrations ;)
But I am not sure about the "God-shall-punish-us-if-we-do-wrong" theory. It's my take that while we are advised to think good, do good and remain good, such threats instill some kind of caution in us. And of course, I agree with you when you say God never wanted Payasam or Pizza ( I would anyway think twice before giving him the Pizza slice ;) )
And I would prefer temples to malls anyday - damn the westernization! I root for Indian culture! ;)
I'd love to read that goddess post! Make sure it clarifies my (mis???)understanding about the sexist aspects of
A) Sacred thread ceremonies.
B) Hindu Marriage rituals
C) Hindu Housewarming ceremonies (yes, even when my mother built the bloody house, those bald pig-tailed guys made the sacred fire circumambulation-thingies seem like my father owned it. Let the MASTER of the house came forward Hello who paid up?)
D) And can you tell me why the "Hindu inheritance act" and "Hindu marriage act" had to be rewritten several times? Sexist.Don't blame the Brits. They have always understood the hypocrisy of this Goddess worshiping religion from the beginning. (Remember Sutti and widow remarriage and child marriage and all that. My history is rather rusty)
E)menstrual apartheid.
F) Just because it comes out looking good when we compare it against certain interpretations of the Quran doesn't mean Hinduism is liberal and progressive w.r.t women especially double standards regarding
I'd like to add to that!
G) Go find out how many shlokas girls are not allowed to chant
H) Also, how widows become all unholy just because they don't have a husband anymore but if its a widower that really doesn't count
But apart from that,you sure you didn't get drunk this once? :D
Ramya,
Please note: While I don't understand a few rites and don't believe in a few, I would like to mention that the rites are only one aspect of Hinduism. My post was along the lines of God and Vibrations, which falls under a totally different aspect of Hinduism. But I guess it was loosely linked to rituals, and so here we go. These are my views on all the rites that you mentioned.
Women HAVE been given a raw deal as far as a few rituals are concerned, yes. Regarding your points on
The housewarming ceremony: Yes, I guess that happened in my case as well. It's perfectly fair for the woman to shout and be heard here. Just one point here - you mentioned bald, pig-tailed guys here. By your theory, that should be sexist too, right? Would you rather see a bald, pig-tailed man doing the ritual or have him replaced by an equally descriptive female counterpart? ;)
The Acts: Yes, they were sexist, but the point remains that they've been amended - a step forward. I won't say we're completely rid of Sati/child marriage, but since it's a punishable offence, we don't see too many incidents. But yes, they were sexist, point taken.
Menstrual Apartheid: Yes, very much prevalent even today, don't know what Hinduism has against it. Point taken.
But well, I would say women have been rather lucky not to be a part of a few rituals, one of which I've been part of. I am talking about my sacred thread ceremony which happened way back in '95. I was a nine year old kid then, and believe me, I thought it was a day of complete frustration. Recently my cousin had his poonal ceremony, and he had his head tonsured as part of the ceremony. I am sure not many girls would want that, specially when they're that young ;)
And well, Hindu marriage? Yes, its the bride's father and not mother who performs the rites, but does it really matter? You have a bride and a groom without the equal presence of whom the marriage can't happen. And of course, when the marriage thread goes up the bride's neck, you have a woman (the groom's sister/cousin sister) tying 2 of the 3 very important knots. I am surprised why men don't claim that as being sexist ;)
Of course, it'd be okka rainge if we could have female vadhyars... how many women you know live with the ambition of being a vadhyar someday? But again, we come back to that pig-tailed man/woman question... ;)
I am sure you know : There's this rite called Sumangaligal Prarthanai that happens before every major ceremony like a marriage or a Seemandham (don't know what its called in English, all apologies) or a Sacred Thread Ceremony. It's the woman's and not a man's prayer that is believed to work - again I wonder - why didn't they allow men to take part?
And yes, I've never believed Hinduism was liberal...there are rites like Shraddham which HAVE to be observed. There is no warding off the rite saying, "Yes, I do have a lot of respect for so-and-so who passed away, but I'll just let the Shraddham be, I don't want to do it". But rather than calling it a lack of choice I think it's a necessary rule which shows us, this is how you respect your elders and your customs, so follow it.
I guess that pretty much sums up what I had in mind.
Hema,
As for widow scenario, you're right. It's still a bane that exists in a few parts of India. But it's a good thing we aren't living in the 1300s - with time the scenario you're talking about will probably become a myth.
And regarding the Shlokas, seeing as one of my 3 Shloka teachers (to date) was a woman, I believe the situation might be changing. She was a brilliant teacher whom I learnt a lot from. And even at school - we had this Gayatri mantra chanting session in the morning. Would be helpful if you could dig up all the mantras that you claim women have been denied a right to...plenty of time till August, eh? ;)
Drunk? 'Absolut'ly. ;)
Divine wisdom. Thank you! Not often, I come across such blog posts.
Dinesh, Thanks. It's not often that I come up with such posts either ;)
Heavy stuff man!
I din know you were so well informed at home. :-)
I have a similar thing going on here where we go temple gallivanting (as I call it) and I too did realize that there was a feeling of serenity or inner peace that came over me when I was there.
I don't consider myself one with God and I am certainly not an atheist.
I am an agnostic (I believe that the existence of God cant be proven).
I have been doing a form of meditation called the alpha state meditation where you are placed in a state called 'alpha' between reality and the other plane. (The other plane is where your mind takes you). It is devoid of any existence life or otherwise.
It helps to keep me focused and always a good reboot for the mind and body.
I do still visit temples now, as Smashmouth used to say (Slightly modified),
Then I saw the grace,
Now I'm a Believer,
and not a trace,
of doubt in my mind.
Guess its not related to your post in a big way but I always felt the Good Vibrations! :-)
Keep us informed on this eye-openin g 'Gyan'
Vivek,
The Beach Boys said it way back in '66... this is the same kind of Gyan rekindled, huh ;)
You know the beach boys too?
:-)
Now I'm impressed!
I tot it hard to find someone who heard of Simon and Gar!
:)
i've changed my blogspot address to vivek1186.blogspot.com
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