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Why Is Salix Compelled to Visit a Temple? Why Doesn't He Go?

Vinayaka

Vinayaka

devotee
Premium Member
Jainarayan said:
I discount the Yoga Moms, though. And of course my pet peeve... the New Agers and their "shockra balancing" and "kundalini releasing". :rolleyes:

Seriously, I shouldn't be as dismissive of them as I am... they could very well be those old eastern souls who've gotten sidetracked through incarnations and are trying to pick up the breadcrumbs trail in this life. Curse you for being so level-headed! :D
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Sure, some folks use yoga as exercise of the body or the ego. Lots of confusing overlap, like the mystic schools of Xianity in the Orthodox varieties. Like anything else along these lines, it's all very individualised. The last guy I gave a tour to will never be back, or at least I'll be very surprised. I could feel his discomfort at the entrance to a new paradigm. He did say, 'It's so different." implying he wasn't comfortable. Whereas souls of the other variety just feel comfortable in it.
 
SalixIncendium

SalixIncendium

अग्निविलोवनन्दः
Staff member
Premium Member
I finally parked and went inside. The only ones present were me, a gentleman at the front desk reading and chanting in Sanskrit, and three temple priests. I waited at the front desk until the gentleman came to a stopping point and asked if it was okay for me to go into the temple and have a look around. He said yes and pointed me to an informational board describing the deities.

I read some of the board, walked around looking at the deities and read some signs. The priests were performing rituals at different altars. They looked at me and went about their business.

I ended up leaving after about 15 minutes, mainly because I was kind of at a loss for what to do next, since there was no one else there for me to “follow their lead” so to speak. There were locked chests in front of each deity which I’m guessing were offering boxes, but there were also a couple of large clear acrylic containers in the temple that appeared to be for the same purpose.

I probably could have stuck around for the Siva abhisheka, for which a priest appeared to be preparing the Lingam, but I felt awkward just standing around watching and waiting.

Though it’s a beautiful temple, I’m not sure if I’ll be returning anytime soon.
 
Vinayaka

Vinayaka

devotee
Premium Member
SalixIncendium said:
I finally parked and went inside. The only ones present were me, a gentleman at the front desk reading and chanting in Sanskrit, and three temple priests. I waited at the front desk until the gentleman came to a stopping point and asked if it was okay for me to go into the temple and have a look around. He said yes and pointed me to an informational board describing the deities.

I read some of the board, walked around looking at the deities and read some signs. The priests were performing rituals at different altars. They looked at me and went about their business.

I ended up leaving after about 15 minutes, mainly because I was kind of at a loss for what to do next, since there was no one else there for me to “follow their lead” so to speak. There were locked chests in front of each deity which I’m guessing were offering boxes, but there were also a couple of large clear acrylic containers in the temple that appeared to be for the same purpose.

I probably could have stuck around for the Siva abhisheka, for which a priest appeared to be preparing the Lingam, but I felt awkward just standing around watching and waiting.

Though it’s a beautiful temple, I’m not sure if I’ll be returning anytime soon.
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Sounds like your typical visit to a Hindu temple, other that that it seems you didn't sit for a bit. It's the same as what most Hindus would do, unless there is a special festival or something going on. The night I was there, for example, there was a group making garlands off in some corner.
 
SalixIncendium

SalixIncendium

अग्निविलोवनन्दः
Staff member
Premium Member
Vinayaka said:
Sounds like your typical visit to a Hindu temple, other that that it seems you didn't sit for a bit. It's the same as what most Hindus would do, unless there is a special festival or something going on. The night I was there, for example, there was a group making garlands off in some corner.
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I suppose the problem was that I didn’t know where to sit. There were some chairs lining the far walls. I wasn’t sure if was appropriate to sit there or to plop myself down somewhere on the floor.
 
Vinayaka

Vinayaka

devotee
Premium Member
SalixIncendium said:
I suppose the problem was that I didn’t know where to sit. There were some chairs liking the far walls. I wasn’t sure if was appropriate to sit there or to plop myself down somewhere on the floor.
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You just sit anywhere on the floor. I would have sat about 10 yards back from the lingam shrine, and contemplated the nature of God, via the lingam. It does help to be familiar.
 
SalixIncendium

SalixIncendium

अग्निविलोवनन्दः
Staff member
Premium Member
Vinayaka said:
You just sit anywhere on the floor. I would have sat about 10 yards back from the lingam shrine, and contemplated the nature of God, via the lingam. It does help to be familiar.
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Theres a Vedic satsang there this afternoon. Do you think perhaps this may be more my speed?
 
Jainarayan

Jainarayan

ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय
Staff member
Premium Member
SalixIncendium said:
I suppose the problem was that I didn’t know where to sit. There were some chairs lining the far walls. I wasn’t sure if was appropriate to sit there or to plop myself down somewhere on the floor.
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Unless you had a decidedly unpleasant or negative experience I’d say try again.

It’s perfectly fine to sit in the chairs. I do because I can’t sit on the floor.
 
Nyingjé Tso

Nyingjé Tso

Tänpa Yungdrung zhab pä tän gyur jig
Vanakkam,

Most people who have this kind of awkward difficulties is because they view the temple as some kind of very solemn religious cult house, like churches.

It helps looking at it this way: the temple is the houseof the deity, who is a friend or aquaintance you're visiting. Make yourself at at home, the temple is a place full of life: people will make garlands, discuss the lastest gossips, eat, pray... It's like a big house with a big family :D
 
ManSinha

ManSinha

Well-Known Member
SalixIncendium said:
I read some of the board, walked around looking at the deities and read some signs. They looked at me and went about their business.
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Well - congratulations I guess - I completely missed the middle sentence as I read your post and thought that the you wrote that the deities looked at you and went about their business. Well that would have been an exceptional first visit - not to mention memorable

Seriously though - I have seen this even in gurdwaras - people come in - sit in a corner - eyes closed - sometimes their lips are moving and other times not - then they get up and leave.
 
Aupmanyav

Aupmanyav

Be your own guru
SalixIncendium said:
.. mainly because I was kind of at a loss for what to do next, ..
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Just sit down, cross-legged, or if that is uncomfortable, against pillar, keep watching things. When you feel like leaving, do a namaskara to the deities and leave. I would never use a chair, I would just plop down on the floor.
SalixIncendium said:
Theres a Vedic satsang there this afternoon. Do you think perhaps this may be more my speed?
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Try, no harm. I would not be interested. I need nothing other than to be with the deities of my culture whom I deny.
 
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Vinayaka

Vinayaka

devotee
Premium Member
ManSinha said:
t the you wrote that the deities looked at you and went about their business. Well that would have been an exceptional first visit - not to mention memorable
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Many bhaktars do believe that, and claim to have had it happened. The other day I had the opportunity to be at the front of a small pallanquin carrying Lord Ganesha around our temple. I couldn't see the deity about 2 feet up and back of me. But i did notice the priests eyes, and where they were going. (Eye contact with the deity)

Mystic Hindus do this all the time as part of receiving darshan. An interesting thing about the temple I attend is if you do talk about it with other devotees, for one particular deity here, if you ask which eye (for winking at you) it's always the same eye. He is a left eye winker, I guess.
 
Martin

Martin

Spam, wonderful spam (bloody vikings!)
I visited my first Hindu temple in the UK last year. I enjoyed the visit, and appreciated the atmosphere, but wasn't sure what to "do" while I was there. It seemed like people were doing their own thing, and I didn't want to interrupt them. My nearest temple is a couple of hours away, and I don't think many westerners attend it.
 
Vinayaka

Vinayaka

devotee
Premium Member
Meerkat said:
I visited my first Hindu temple in the UK last year. I enjoyed the visit, and appreciated the atmosphere, but wasn't sure what to "do" while I was there. It seemed like people were doing their own thing, and I didn't want to interrupt them. My nearest temple is a couple of hours away, and I don't think many westerners attend it.
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Yes, people do their own thing, and so can you. On any different day, there might be 100 versions of 'your own thing'. Yes it's true that not many westerners attend, but it is also likely incorrect to assume all the other people there know each other at all. You might see 20 people, for instance, and they are in 8 groups, all of whom don't know each other at all. So other than the skin colour, you fit right into that pattern. Most people go to see God.
 
Aupmanyav

Aupmanyav

Be your own guru
One important note for temple visitors: Your attendance is not marked unless you sit even for a minute. If you are in a hurry, Gods know it and will excuse you. But to sit is important, best on the floor, if you can. In the temple which is like a family temple to my family, we will sit in the mandapam as well as on the steps or benches outside the temple even if for a minute (i.e., anywhere outside the mandapam). It is a small non-descript temple in our locality.

It has two idols of Mother Parvati side-by-side, one installed by my grandfather (the old one is gnarled by half a millennium of use), but it did not prove popular with people who still worship the old idol. The temple also has a bigger mandapam lying vacant, because the deity did not want to reside in the new mandap (the priest had a dream and the deity asked him to forget the idea). :)

Even when Hindus visit other Hindus (on happy or sad occasions), they will sit at least for a minute before going back. Otherwise it is said "Khade-khade aaye the, khade-khade chale gaye" (He came standing and went away standing (did not sit down)). Culturally not appreciated.
 
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Martin

Martin

Spam, wonderful spam (bloody vikings!)
Vinayaka said:
Yes, people do their own thing, and so can you. On any different day, there might be 100 versions of 'your own thing'. Yes it's true that not many westerners attend, but it is also likely incorrect to assume all the other people there know each other at all. You might see 20 people, for instance, and they are in 8 groups, all of whom don't know each other at all. So other than the skin colour, you fit right into that pattern. Most people go to see God.
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That's good to know. I don't think it will be practical for me to visit a temple regularly, but it's useful to have some understanding of what goes on.
 
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