What is your opinion ?

[Nyingjé Tso]

Vanakkam everyone,

I would like to know your opinion on a particular subject: rituals in Sanatana Dharma.

This include everything that can be performed, at home or at the temple: Puja, Homa, Abhisekham....


As you are on the path of Sanatana Dharma, but all on different minds, it could be interesting to know if you find those rituals useful (for?) or not (why?)
- Do you think practicing rituals at home/Attending them at the temple is useful ?
- What is your opinion on those rituals: does one need them to go on the path of spiritual enlightment ?
- Do you believe it's a direct medium from the devotee to the deity, and vice versa ?
- Do you think rituals are only a tradition/mysticism and think that only by study and science one can attain Moksha ?


Please, no fight on this tread ! It is mostly destined to Sanatana Dharma practioners of course

As for my opinion:

I practice puja, rudrabhisekam and Maasa-Shivratri...As well as Devi Puja on Navratri. So, my perspective is clear: rituals are very importants for me, I think they are an essential part of Sanatana Dharma. By study of the books and knowledge alone I don't feel like I'm going to go much further. I believe it's by the Grace of Mahadev that everything happen, and that it's natural to turn toward Him to honour, thank Him and ask for Him. I do think it's a medium between the devotee and God...


So, what is your opinion on that ?

 

[Maya3]

I think rituals are good to add to your focus and to build community, but I think the most important is meditation, selfless service, study and ahimsa.

Maya

- Do you think practicing rituals at home/Attending them at the temple is useful ?

Sometimes. I like to do pujas for holidays. They are very simple and short, but it feels very devotional, especially if my husband participates.

- What is your opinion on those rituals: does one need them to go on the path of spiritual enlightment ?

No you don't need them. But if it helps you focus then they can help you get there.

- Do you believe it's a direct medium from the devotee to the deity, and vice versa ?

No I don't believe that.

But I think that you can reach God through focusing on a deity, but it's more using the deity until you can understand God.

- Do you think rituals are only a tradition/mysticism and think that only by study and science one can attain Moksha ?

I do think they are tradition. But again I think they can help you focus and feel more spiritual and that in it's turn can lead you to Moksha.
I do think that meditation and study are more important for many, but it depends on the person and their circumstances.

 

[Jainarayan]

I'm not a ritualistic person, though in the begining of my journey in Sanātana Dharma it caused me much conflict because I thought I should be performing all the daily rituals like full-on home puja, abhishekham, japa (on a māl&#257. Then I came to understand simple bhakti.

While japa is bhakti, I find myself reciting mantras and chanting the Lord's names all the time. I often call up my prayer book in Word at work or at home and read through it. Heck, I even wake up with a bhajan or mantra in my head... really! And one will spontanteously pop into my head if I hear a note or tone that "kicks off" the bhajan or chant (I can't hear an E note without having 'Govindam' start in my head ).

Before I went into surgery on Tuesday I made sure Sri Krishna was in my thoughts, so those were the last thoughts I had. Obviously, they weren't. When I woke up, I said to the nurse "well, I guess Lord Yama did not come after all". She must have thought "huh!?" :biglaugh:

I participate in the rituals at temple, because I think they are the "real McCoy". My home rituals consist of lamp lighting and incence and offering them, offering water on the altar in a tiny kalash, saying a litany of prayers, mantras and gayatris to the deities, that I put together, and often listening to bhajans while at the altar, as well as at other times (at workl, driving, being around the house), and placing fresh flowers on the altar.

That's the extent of my ritualism. Are rituals useful? Certainly... they are structure; they give focus. So when I say my prayers and and do my sādhana I guess it is a ritual because it has a structure.

 

[Nyingjé Tso]

Vanakkam Maya,

but I think the most important is meditation, study .

Maya

Yes, you are right, meditating is very important in one's path. However, for some with not disciplined minds or for some that feel more comfortable, rituals like daily puja are a form of meditation. Or a way to remind and honour the presence of our Ishta, to calm our mind before beginning Sadhana

selfless service / Study / ahimsa

Yup, I agree too.

The fact of doing , watching or believing in rituals does not make someone follower of Sanatana Dharma, of course you have to believe in it's principles and follow them as much as you can.
For exemple, ahimsa and study is not easy depending on where you are from, especially from another culture and country. Meditation, selfless service, sadhana, rituals can help balancing this, for exemple.


Aum Namah Shivaya

 

[Jainarayan]

Vanakkam Maya,



Yes, you are right, meditating is very important in one's path. However, for some with not disciplined minds or for some that feel more comfortable, rituals like daily puja are a form of meditation. Or a way to remind and honour the presence of our Ishta, to calm our mind before beginning Sadhana

True, because there really is no one definition of meditation. It is many things to many people.

 

[Nyingjé Tso]

I'm not a ritualistic person, though in the begining of my journey in Sanātana Dharma it caused me much conflict because I thought I should be performing all the daily rituals like full-on home puja, abhishekham, japa (on a māl&#257. Then I came to understand simple bhakti.

Kinda same here. Newcomers tend to believe that they have to do stricts and difficult things. I think this is more seen in western countries because we still have the "I will be punished/God will not be pleased" in our minds. But once we understand there is no anger or sin, we are more at peace with our duty.

While japa is bhakti, I find myself reciting mantras and chanting the Lord's names all the time. I often call up my prayer book in Word at work or at home and read through it. Heck, I even wake up with a bhajan or mantra in my head... really! And one will spontanteously pop into my head if I hear a note or tone that "kicks off" the bhajan or chant (I can't hear an E note without having 'Govindam' start in my head ).

Ahah, same to me ^^ Happen to sing Namah Shivaya, Gayatri mantra or Jai ambe gauri all the time !

My home rituals consist of lamp lighting and incence and offering them, offering water on the altar in a tiny kalash, saying a litany of prayers, mantras and gayatris to the deities, that I put together, and often listening to bhajans while at the altar, as well as at other times (at workl, driving, being around the house), and placing fresh flowers on the altar.

It's exactly the same for me again. Sri Krishna said that he would accept even a leaf if it's offered with devotion. Thos kind of daily rituals, as simple as they seems to be, are useful for Bhakti. Even if we think we always have the Lord in our mind, it's not totally true since our mind is never completely tamed unless you practice meditation daily. So, a more formal reminder is useful.
But doing full rituals at home or temple, according to a tradition, can be useful too in my opinion. Each action and each offering have a mantra, a meaning, it's very deep and help tame and sharpening our minds. That's why I do Maasa-Shivratri, according to the tradition. It's like a "intensive spiritual meditation training", and one can truly feel the grace of Mahadev.

That's the extent of my ritualism. Are rituals useful? Certainly... they are structure; they give focus. So when I say my prayers and and do my sādhana I guess it is a ritual because it has a structure.

All is in the balance There are formal rituals, there are our personals rituals, so when someone sit for his daily 30mn meditation, should this be considered ritual too ?

Thank you for your answers, it's really kind an open new perspectives !

Aum Namah Shivaya

 

[Jainarayan]

Kinda same here. Newcomers tend to believe that they have to do stricts and difficult things. I think this is more seen in western countries because we still have the "I will be punished/God will not be pleased" in our minds. But once we understand there is no anger or sin, we are more at peace with our duty.

Bingo!!!

It's exactly the same for me again. Sri Krishna said that he would accept even a leaf if it's offered with devotion. Thos kind of daily rituals, as simple as they seems to be, are useful for Bhakti.

I was going to mention Bhagavad Gita 9.26

 

[Maya3]

Bingo!!!



I was going to mention Bhagavad Gita 9.26

My favorite too!

Maya

 

[Vinayaka]

Rituals, when done correctly, are the gateway to another level of consciousness, or worlds where Gods and devas exist. The people who wrote the ancient Agama texts http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Āgama_(Hinduism) on it really knew what they were doing. Some has been lost, but if you look in the right places, its still there. In the old days, the intent was that the priest, in his preparation, realised the Self within, each time, before commencing the puja.

 

[Surya Deva]

Namaste,

There is a debate on a similar subject of ritual in the general debate forum. So I will state my views here briefly, without debating them here.

- Do you think practicing rituals at home/Attending them at the temple is useful ?

No, I find them distracting. I have tried many times in the past to sincerely participate in rituals. I even set up my own morning altar where I did my own modified Hindu ritual chanting Vedic mantras, lighting incense, sprinkling water and stating prayers before starting meditation, but I found it disagreeable with my nature and eventually I just cut it all out and just meditated silently.

- What is your opinion on those rituals: does one need them to go on the path of spiritual enlightment ?

No they are not needed. They are in my opinion just fanfare, show to create a semblance of spirituality. All we need is our own body and silent time throughout the day to sit and meditate. Good thoughts, good deeds is all that is needed. What is the need for ritual? I honestly cannot understand it.

- Do you believe it's a direct medium from the devotee to the deity, and vice versa ?

Which deity? Hinduism is a religion about self-realization. That is literally what Moksha means: the realization of the essential self by purifying your mind, hence ending the cycle of rebirth.

- Do you think rituals are only a tradition/mysticism and think that only by study and science one can attain Moksha ?

Rituals are a part of the old Vedic religion(purva mimassa) The new Vedic religion(uttra mimassa/Vedanta) explicitly condemns ritual. It calls ritual a unstable boat that leads one from death to death. It makes fun of ritualists by likening them to a procession of dogs chanting "Om! Lets eat Om! Lets drink" It explicitly says that through no work or ritual can self-realization happen, self-realization happens only through practicing meditation.

The path of Jnana(self-study, meditation) is prescribed to us by the authoritative texts of our religion, so I really don't understand where all these rituals come from and why they are practiced. In which texts are they prescribed, I am curious to know(without debating it)

 

[twilightdance]

Rituals, internal or external, are an essential component of sadhana and it does not matter what people think or opine about them.

Until real wisdom dawns whatever religio-philosophical actions, thought,"silent meditation", debate and internet posting may we engage in out of habit or sadhana - they are still essentially rituals.

It is just that actual hindu rituals are likely to be far more useful [in "self" realization as we often chime] than the ones we create ourselves for our satisfaction.

 

[Gaura Priya]

I consider myself a Vaishnava.

The only 'ritual' which is done out of complete and utter affection I believe in, is developing one's love for God through bhakti.

There are nine steps of this yoga of loving devotion: hearing about the Lord (shravanam), chanting His glories (kirtanam), remembrance of Him (vishnoh-smaranam), serving His lotus feet (pada-sevanam), worshipping His Deity form (archanam), praying to Him (vandanam), becoming His servant (dasyam), regarding Him as one's best Friend (sakhyam), and surrendering everything to Him (atma-nivedanam).

When these steps are not ritualistically performed, but performed only out of pure affection for Sri Krishna, or Sri Vishnu, they engage the soul in His transcendental Bliss, His ananda-maya.

In Gaudiya Vaishnava practice, all these rituals, pujas, aratis, archa-vigraha, taking darshana at temple, etc. are all to foster our love for Krishna/Vishnu and His Holy Name.

The Purusharthas are artha, kama, dharma and moksha. I do not focus on these, but see bhakti as the relationship, the process, and the goal (sambandha, abhideya, and prayojana), and bhakti is the practice (sadhana) between the practitioner (sadhaka) and the goal of the practice (sadhya), who is the Absolute Beauty, Sri Krishna. To me, bhakti is jaiva-dharma; loving devotion to God is the essential condition of the soul.

Bhakti is everything to me, and thus I engage in chanting His names of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra through my japa, worshipping my murti of Sri Chaitanya, etc. to help focus my mind to eventually always remember my Lord.

 

[Nyingjé Tso]

Vanakkam,

Thank you everyone for your opinions, this is really interesting to have different views on a subject ^^

I realized that, in fact, people had many opinions not only about the rituals, but also about why practicing rituals

-> Some are doing it for pure bhakti, without believing a "mystical" phenomenon is involved

-> Some are doing it for pure bhakti, believing that a "mystical" phenomenon is involved.

-> Some are doing it for mystical purposes or for gaining siddhi/material gain, believing in it.

-> Some are doing it as an automatism, because they are used to do it and because it's the tradition, without beliving any mystical thing involved

-> Some are doing it as an automatism, because they are used to do it and because it's the tradition,beliving mystical things are involved


So, seeing many profiles like this and your opinions on this, I am a little confused now ! I wonder, what is the original purpose of the rituals (puja, abhisekam...)
It's not only for bhakti, as bhakti is a concept that appeared late on Sanatana Dharma history =0

Please, correct me if I am wrong :bow:


Aum Namah Shivaya

 

[ratikala]

dear jaya bholenath ,

good question ,

I am prehaps closest to gaura priya in that I belive puja is worship rather than ritual , it is a service given out of love and humility .

I consider myself a Vaishnava.

The only 'ritual' which is done out of complete and utter affection I believe in, is developing one's love for God through bhakti.

when it is approached as ritual , as an obligation and might easily become a chore , something we feel we must do to conform with tradition , or something we do with a veiw of some return , some blessing .

There are nine steps of this yoga of loving devotion: hearing about the Lord (shravanam), chanting His glories (kirtanam), remembrance of Him (vishnoh-smaranam), serving His lotus feet (pada-sevanam), worshipping His Deity form (archanam), praying to Him (vandanam), becoming His servant (dasyam), regarding Him as one's best Friend (sakhyam), and surrendering everything to Him (atma-nivedanam).

to me the day starts with archanam, vandanam and dasyam, I receive the blessing of sakhyam through that service and if I can go about my day with a mind of surrender then my day is peacefull and shravanam , kirtanam and smaranam come easily and are fruitfull .

but yes there is a mystical phenomena envolved it is that which links us to the object of our devotion , it is that which desolves or cuts away all obsticals or obscurations .