30 May 2013

Place of Worship -

What do we worship and why do we worship are gut wrenching questions that most of us avoid and instead follow easier routes of choices handed over to us by the culture and society in which we are raised.

Mother Nature grants humans complete freedom to choose and bear the consequences of our choices. Nature does not mess with our choices.

Temple, church, mosque, gurudwara are the typical places of worship attended by the devotees when their inside is crying out for help to fill a void within. Often times, the fear or intensity of void within cannot be clearly defined and visiting the place of worship and following the traditional rituals provides some solace.

Religious traditions naturally vary between religions which are simply the ways of life.Traditionally in most Hindu households there is a small space within the residence that is reserved for settling quietly to worship or pray; the difference between the two words has been difficult to decipher. In addition to the small place of worship in private residence, a Hindu devotee enjoys the freedom to visit and explore any other places of worship of choice. In Muslim tradition the devotee sits on a mat facing in the direction of Mecca or Caba of prayer; at the fixed times of prayer. A quiet place within easy reach is acceptable. Christians congregate in church every sunday or visit the church individually as the need arises. Jews choose to face and address  the Wailing or Western Wall as a sacred wall of faith in Jerusalem. Traditions do play significant role in life; however in the face of ever changing times, inflexibility in rituals and traditions seems to diminish and tarnish the essential  spirit.

Mother Nature has blessed every human with a body in which to live throughout lifetime. The entire space within the confines of our outer skin; the entire space is exclusively ours; making it an ideal place for worship or prayer. It is always approachable. Consequently it is important that we keep this space clean all the time. As we internalise our life experiences without the fanfare of traditions or rituals and feel the functioning of our miraculous human body, it begins to dawn on us that the Universe that lies within us is identical to the Universe outside of our skin. Our skin is not a border of separation but merely an integral part of the entire Universe. We feel seamlessly connected with the outside Universe through our breath.

The Universe seemingly outside our skin is the Creator and each one of us is its unbiased Creation; seamlessly connected with each other. Then the duality between Me and You ceases to exit. This all inclusive Universe presents itself as the ultimate reality.

The above perspective of life minimizes Man’s compulsive desire to install a symbol of worship within the closed brick walls and a roof that is dedicated as the place of worship. Often, Prayer seems to be fear of the unknown stemming out of Ignorance.

Prayer and thirst for experiencing the all inclusiveness of Universe within and around us is self-empowering, liberating and free of any fear. Self-enlightened Masters step out of their prisons of subjugation with sublimation of all anger, fear and have the innate strength to offer sincere prayers of forgiveness for their subjugators. Self-enlightened individuals like these become convincing proof for the noble spirit of all inclusiveness in Universe.