practices

practices

1. worship

   • liberation
     • atman returns to Brahman like a droplet merging back into the ocean
     • atman returns to Brahman however it remains separate like a green bird that merges into the greenery
   • where
     • Hindus generally agree that the way a person worships is not as important as the love and devotion in their heart when they worship.
     • every village and town in India has a temple or mandir
       • the appearance of a temple is intended to create a heaven on earth, where worshippers can be still and find the truth within themselves, that is within the space of the heart
       • if temple is highly decorated, it is thought to drive off evil forces; the deities on each side of the temple guard the shrine
       • often a special room at the entrance for the guardian or vehicle of deity
   • how
     • practicing yoga
     • finding god in the heart
     • chanting mantras and meditating
       • "there are two ways of contemplating Brahman: in sound and in silence" - upanishad
       • story of Gajendra
         • a king in south india failed to welcome a visiting a wise man, so he was turned into an elephant, Gajendra as punishment. one day, Gajendra was bathing in the lake with other elephants when his leg was seized by a crocodile, who was angry that the bathers had disturbed his peaceful lake. Despite his size and strength, Gajendra was not as powerful as the crocodile and was about to be eaten when he remembered the mantras he had used in his previous life as king. He recited these prayers to Vishnu, who immediately swept down from the skies on his giant eagle, Garuda, to save him. Vishnu cut off the head of the crocodile and took Gajendra with him on Garuda, back to vaikuntha, the spiritual world.
     • puja - giving respect and honour, make offerings
     • arati - offering of light
     • darshan - offer greeting as sign of respect and honour, receiving blessing in return
     • bhajan/kirtan
     • mantras/japa
     • havan - fire sacrifice
   • bhakti - loving devotion to god

2. festivals

   • why
     • celebrating a key event in the life of a deity
     • celebrating the birth, life and achievements of a Hindu saint
     • seasonal festivals and customs associated with nature or harvest
     • joyful celebrations of family relationships and the cycle of human life
   • diwali
     • festival of lights
     • story of ramayana
       • at the time when Ravanna, the demon king of Sri Lanka, ruled the earth, Rama was banished by his stepmother to the forest for fourteen years. Rama's beautiful wife, Sita, and his brother, Laksmana, chose to accompany him and share his simple life in the forest. Rama and Sita lived happily in the forest, but Ravanna fell in love with Sita and tried to abduct her. When Rama and Laksmana were away hunting, Sita stepped outside her magic protective circle and was captured by Ravanna. Rama asked Hanuman, the monkey deity, to help him find her. A causeway was built from India to Sri Lanka and a mighty battle fought. Rama killed Ravanna, and Sita proved that she had remained chaste while living in the house of another man. Rama and Sita returned home together, and Rama took his rightful place as king.
     • lasts five days in October or November
     • Lakshmi, goddess of prosperity, is remembered

3. Teachers

   • gurus
     • holy person, usually a man, who has reached enlightenment after giving up attachment to worldly goods to spend time studying the scriptures and meditating on god
     • life spent teaching others how to find self-realisation.
     • gu means darkness and ru means light
       • gets rid of spiritual darkness and replaces it with light or enlightenment
     • expectations
       • be well versed in the scriptures
       • know about Brahman
       • have overcome all human desires
       • be honest, sincere and trustworthy
   • sadhus
   • sannyasins
   • swamis
   • "the pearl is found in the oyster, and the oyster is in the sea. the diver brings it up. no one else has the power to do this" - guru kabir