Three pillars of Hinduism

[Vinayaka]

Scripture, Gurus, and Temples ... the religion would continue if only one of these was kept alive. If we observe people, generally their practice can be divided into these three components, with more focus on one or two over another. What are your fractions? (Mine would be around 5% scripture, 50% Guru, and 45% temples) Of course there are those (my premonition) that will say they need none of the above, but I'm thinking more in terms of survival of the religion.

We just finished our 23rd brahmotsavam festival here. Looking forward to next year. (Every 12 years, kumbhabhishekham) )

 

[JustGeorge]

Out of those three, personally, scripture is more prominent. I've never quite found my guru, and temple trips are a luxury rather than a routine.

However, puja and personal practice within the home make up the larger piece of my practice.

For survival of the religion, it seems that if any one pillar survives over the other, it'll change the religion greatly as we know it.

 

[mangalavara]

What are your fractions? (Mine would be around 5% scripture, 50% Guru, and 45% temples)

Currently, temples for me are at 0% because there are no temples in my city nor anywhere in this region of the country. If there is at least one in my city, it is not advertised. As far as gurus go, I do not have a formal connection with one. On the other hand, I’ve been reading upadeśas of Jagadguru Sri Mahasannidhanam of the Sringeri Śarada Peetham for months now. I’ve also listened to lectures by two well known monastic figures within the Ramakrishna movement. All in all, I’ve lately decided to only focus on Jagadguru because I cannot agree with certain teachings of the Ramakrishna movement anymore. Jagadguru’s teachings have given me clarity and they continue to inspire my spirituality. So, when it comes to the percentage of my fraction regarding gurus, I give a conservative estimate of 5%. Lastly, with respect to scriptures, the fraction is a liberal 95%.

 

[Aupmanyav]

Scripture, Gurus, and Temples.
We just finished our 23rd brahmotsavam festival here. Looking forward to next year. (Every 12 years, kumbhabhishekham) )

So, that is why we did not see you in the forum for quite some time.
Give us the link to videos of the festival. How did you help them?
IMHO, all three are necessary, though the first two will be under scrutiny.

 

[Vinayaka]

So, that is why we did not see you in the forum for quite some time.
Give us the link to videos of the festival. How did you help them?
IMHO, all three are necessary, though the first two will be under scrutiny.

I don't come here much, not because of that, but because there is rarely anything new or refreshing to me personally. I have no interest in most of the topics. Perhaps that is a natural state from the slow withdrawal from the world, called sannyasa ashrama.

Yes the festival is nuts ... around 10 hours of puja daily for 13 days. I no longer attend the entire thing, but some do, especially the priests, as they have to. In that sense it's exhausting, but in the energy sense it certainly recharges the temple.

My main help during festival time is making flower malas. I changed the form of 1000 stems of mini-carnations into gifts for the Gods. But compared to some of the key volunteers, I do nothing.

Hope all is well in Delhi.

 

[SalixIncendium]

What are your fractions?

Great question, and I've been thinking about it on and off all morning and really don't have a good answer besides 0% temple.

I don't have a guru in the traditional sense, though I've listened to countless hours of lectures by Swami Sarvapriyananda, most currently the Mandukya Karika series. Though a few masters have inspired me, he would be the one I've spent the most time listening to.

I also study scripture, less for the purpose of seeking revelations, and more to validate experiences I've had.

I guess based on these and limiting myself to these three pillars, my best guess would be around 50% guru and 50% scripture.

 

[Vinayaka]

Great question, and I've been thinking about it on and off all morning and really don't have a good answer besides 0% temple.

I don't have a guru in the traditional sense, though I've listened to countless hours of lectures by Swami Sarvapriyananda, most currently the Mandukya Karika series. Though a few masters have inspired me, he would be the one I've spent the most time listening to.

I also study scripture, less for the purpose of seeking revelations, and more to validate experiences I've had.

I guess based on these and limiting myself to these three pillars, my best guess would be around 50% guru and 50% scripture.

Thanks for answering This topic only came to me a couple of days ago, as a result of my observation of the Sri Lankan Tamil community here. For the most part, they are 95% temple. Very little scripture or Guru. It helped me to understand them, and why I don't quite fit in.

 

[Aupmanyav]

Hope all is well in Delhi.

Like one of our elders said, all is well only in cemeteries. In life, there will be problems.
We just had floods in Delhi and then we had a communal flare-up in which six people died. It is less than one year to National elections, so it is time for disturbances.
But kindly don't stop coming here. Your posts are special. We are all involved, you are uninvolved.

 

[Vinayaka]

Like one of our elders said, all is well only in cemeteries. In life, there will be problems.
We just had floods in Delhi and then we had a communal flare-up in which six people died. It is less than one year to National elections, so it is time for disturbances.
But kindly don't stop coming here. Your posts are special. We are all involved, you are uninvolved.

Not much to say, really.