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Eastern Mind
03 November 2010, 08:16 AM
Vannakkam all:

In reading other sites, and watching people, I've observed that some people are in a great rush on pilgrimage, particularly while in India, and by many Indians. For example, on a travel site, someone asks, "Can I do Madurai Meenakshi, Palani, and Rameswaram in one day?" and the answer is "sure, if you start at Palani in the morning, do Madurai before noon, and then on to Rameswaram for evening, its very possible." Haven't such people ever heard of "Stop and smell the flowers."

Another one is "Can we do the 9 Navagraha temples around Kumbakonam in a day?"

Or even the yoga people.. "I want to spend 3 days in an intense yoga camp."

3 days? Like that's going to be life altering.

Even here I know people who have driven from Vancouver (12 hour drive) to visit our temple for an hour, only to turn right around and go home.

So my question is: Why the rush? is it from an Abrahamic view insiduously put inside us? is it because people work too hard, and have such little time for spiritual matters they have to hurry, or feel they have to hurry? What's all the rush about? Is it that the 3 seconds of darshan is enough. What about the 3 hours of sitting and watching afterward?

I'm curious to other people's explanations for this "Hurry Up" phenomenon?

Aum Namasivaya

Sahasranama
03 November 2010, 09:20 AM
Maybe it's for bragging rights. Some people like to say, I have been here and here and here.

Eastern Mind
03 November 2010, 10:19 AM
Maybe it's for bragging rights. Some people like to say, I have been here and here and here.

Vannakkam: Maybe. But both the hurry up AND the bragging go against Sanatana Dharma, in my humble opinion. Maybe its a habit like the guy in a car who chronically changes lanes and passes everybody to get there 5 minutes faster over a two hour trip.

Bragging rights is a very interesting concept to me. Often people make unwarranted accusations of bragging. For example, a football (soccer) player who says, "Yes I scored a goal on that day," could be accused of bragging when all he's doing is telling what's happened. So my take is that only God or perhaps the person themselves from their own inner gut, can determine whats bragging and what isn't. Of course we could choose to go along and never say anything, but that would be no fun.

Aum Namasivaya

sunyata07
03 November 2010, 01:16 PM
Namaste EM,

Having never been on a pilgrimmage, I don't think I can add much to the discussion here. I will take your word for it that many people on pilgrimmages in India are eager to cram as much as they can in their time spent there. Could part of that be attributed to wanting to make the most of their stay over there? If so, I guess that's understandable, although hardly conducive to having the right frame of mind when you are visiting a particular temple or sacred space. But, sadly, the world has become revolved around the notion of time and money - in effect, those who have the chance for some time off to work on sadhana are probably setting out with an objective amount of spiritual work and merit in mind.

I'm not 100% sure that most of it can be explained by the chance to boast, though God knows there are plenty of people out there who like to flaunt their religious endeavours for the world to see, thinking quantity can outweigh quality of experience. Also, don't want to stray from topic here, but bragging to me only really counts as bragging when someone states a fact with a certain air of ostentation - it's in the execution rather than in the content of their statements.

If I can give my opinions on this pell-mell attitude to going on pilgrimmages and fitting all the eggs into one basket, I think a lot of people often forget to enjoy the moment, or as you say "stop to smell the flowers". They become fixated on the future, the next moment, the next darshan, the next spiritual "fix" and in doing so fail to lose themselves in the Now (with the capital n as Eckhart Tolle would put it). I'm not condemning the practical notion of time - it is a concept that puts some order into our secular lives and worldly commitments, duties, etc. but in spirituality, it is actually an insane concept if you stop and think about it.

In any case, it's an astute observation you've made, EM, one that isn't often picked up on, but that could potentially build up into a bad habit. I notice it happens sometimes when I'm in meditation (early mornings) and I've an important meeting or errand to run. Best thing to do is to nip it in the bud when you notice it, turn off your phone, computer, etc. and just take some time out to commit. The world will still be waiting when you're finished.

Om namah Shivaya

Eastern Mind
03 November 2010, 01:27 PM
Vannakkam Sunyata et al:

Sunyata, your comments remind me about the phone. Some people believe that the phone, if it rings, HAS to be answered. Even if you're in the middle of a puja, or morning sadhana, by golly, if that phone rings, it might just be the Queen of England, Gandhi doing time travel, or the lottery corp telling you you've won big. Stop everything (bathing, showering, brushing your teeth, eating, changing a child's diaper, sex even) and anything and just answer that phone.

It is YOUR phone, and if you happen to be out or on a walk, you wouldn't hear it. So now with these cellphone thingies, you can even take it with you on a walk. I've seen people in the middle of temple aarti actually answer it. Sad. External life is so gripping that we can't even turn that darn thing off for a moment.

Personally, I don't own one and probably never will. Sorry about the rant.

Aum Namasivaya

sunyata07
03 November 2010, 01:44 PM
Namaste EM,

No need to apologise. I think you speak for a lot of us, and the irritation with phones is understandable. IMO, the mobile phone is the singularly greatest and worst invention in the history of mankind. I'd never dream of bringing my phone into a temple - do some people just insist on not switching it onto silent mode? Even worse is answering it if you're in the middle of prayer or meditation. It's like you're calling God and then when you get another call, you tell Him to hold the line while you go off to discuss business. Madness. Of course, emergencies, are another thing, but I wish some people would just appreciate the moment for once. They would be so much happier for it.

Om namah Shivaya

NayaSurya
03 November 2010, 04:21 PM
I begged for my husband to not buy me a cell phone, but he insisted saying that if I were broken down on the side of the road...(ya know all the "what if's" that could happen...that used to happen 20 years ago and we somehow managed) :p .

So he bought me one about two years ago finally and I gave it up earlier this year, much to his dismay. I have seen the young people constantly texting each other, it's constant stimulation...you are never truly alone, or quiet inside.

Giving up my cell phone made my entire family complain, they could no longer reach me when I was outdoors gardening, in the shower...or praying. You would have think I joined some wacky commune and disappeared by the way some of them behaved. But, for me, it's been wonderful. Along with turning off the radio and television it has been the single most calming thing I did this year. So they can't reach me when they want...and I have peace finally.

It works out.:p

The whole car conversation also made me giggle. You wouldn't believe how many times some guy speeds past us going 50 MPH over the speed limit only to meet us again at a red light down the road. So what was the point of it? If only our lil slow van will meet up with you after you risked your life for nothing?

It's a hurry up society and I try very hard not to get snagged up in its inner gears.

jasdir
04 November 2010, 06:36 AM
The places, where true devotees of God took birth, lived for sometime, practised meditation, performed physical or mental austerities or gave up the body, later on emerged as sacred spots of pilgrimage and worship. The importance of the sacred spots is owing to the greatness of holymen, Saints and devotees of God. In fact, the places of pilgrimage are revered because of their association with the holymen, seers and sages. The places where they sit become sacred.

The sole purpose behind visiting the external places of pilgrimage is to understand their importance as to why these places gained importance. We should learn a lesson from the lives and teachings of those Saints because of whom these places became sacred. We should look for a holy Saint whose teachings may be helpful in controlling our mind and senses, and who can show us a path of God-realisation. But, now-a-days to go for a pilgrimage has become a tradition. People living on the banks of the Ganges run to Kurukshetra and those residing in Kurukshetra run to the Ganges. Similarly, the inhabitants of Badri Naryan run to Prayag and those of Prayag run to Badri Narayan and so on. These places have degenerated into fairs and festivals. People go their for enjoyment, sight seeing, merry making and meeting friends. Instead of benefiting from the spiritual discourses and practising worship and devotion, they come back to their homes after taking a dip in the sacred rivers. On the return journey, they buy goods for distribution amongst relatives and friends by way of gifts. Most of the people visit these places solely from the commercial angle of making money. They kill two birds with one stone i.e. they take bath at the places of pilgrimage and also make money. Thus the real purpose of visiting the sacred places has been lost sight of entirely. One cannot attain God-realisation and remove the impurities of the mind and soul simply by having a dip in water or by journeying through the world. The Lord cannot be pleased in this manner.

By visiting the places of pilgrimage, if we do not get the company of a true Saint (Satsang) which pacifies the heart and controls the mind from wandering hither and thither and do not benefit from his spiritual discourses, it is a sheer wastage of time and money. In fact, these places have become the centres of hypocrisy and cruelty. Irreligious activities and evil practices are gaining momentum at these places. The greatness and fame of these places is because of advertisement and propaganda launched by the irreligious, unrighteous and business cheats who get ample chance of robbing and fleecing the innocent pilgrims.

It is pertinent to note that by washing the body at the sacred spots, the impurities of the mind and soul cannot be cleansed. If bathing could remove the filth of the mind, the fish which bathes constantly in water would have dispelled its foul smell. Similarly, man may bathe thousand times in icy cold waters and visit the holy places of pilgrimage but he cannot escape from the snares of the Negative Power unless he bathes in the internal pool of Nectar.

By bathing at the external places of pilgrimage man contracts the impurities of Egotism, instead of removing the dirt of sins. Only those people visit the places of pilgrimage whose mind if not inclined to worship, body shirks hard labour, mind is fickle and wanders hither and thither and concentration is not attained even for a moment. Such people after visiting pilgrim-stations, instead of washing the dirt of sins, make their minds more impure and egotistic. They boast of having been to the sacred places of pilgrimage and having performed `Haj.' They boast of having offered prayers, worship, bowing head in temples, and having made donations to certain sadhus and charitable asharams. There is no use of external bathing and visiting the holy places of pilgrimage if ego reigns in the mind.

The true pool of Nectar (True Amritsar, True Prayag or Mansarover) is inside the body and is situated at the mid-point of the forehead behind the two eye-brows which is the confluence of three veins i.e. Ira, Pingla and Sushmana. One gains real purity and cleanliness by having a dip in it.

A great folly
It is highly regrettable that people continue to visit the places of pilgrimage and perform Haj years together for the purification of the mind and God-realisation. They incur heavy expenditure and bear the hazards of long journeys. But they do not endeavour to bathe in the internal pool of nectar. They do not strive to seek the Lord inside the temple of the body. They waste their lives in vain. They have little faith in the bygone sages and seers and do not profit by their experience.

By having a dip in the internal pool of Nectar, all the weal and woes are dispelled and one obtains true knowledge.

The human body is made of matter. It requires material water to cleanse it. For this purpose, it has to perform the journey through the material world. The soul is exceedingly fine and delicate thing. For purification, it h as to bathe in the Lord's Naam or Shabad, which is exceedingly subtle (Suksham) and is found in the astral or subtle regions.

The true pilgrimage is in the tenth apperture (Daswan Dawar) and journey to it has to be traversed by the soul which is immersed in every pore and cell of the body. By reciting the holy Names, we have to withdraw our attention from the finger tips of the feet and hands, and also from the entire body. We have to concentrate the scattered currents of the soul at the Third Eye (Tisra Til) which is situated at the centre between the two eye-brows. At this point, the soul glimpses the luminous form of the Master who assists it to bathe in the true pool of Nectar which is in the tenth apperture. By bathing in the internal pool of Nectar, the three covers of the soul i.e. Asthool (Gross or Material), Suksham (Subtle or Astral) and Karan (Ethereal), three Gunnas (Satogun, Rajogun and Tamogun), Mind, Maya and five passions (lust, anger, greed, attachment and vanity) all are driven out and the soul becomes absolutely pure and crystal clean. Guru Nanak Sahib says that true cleanliness can be obtained only with the dye of the Lord's Name and by God-realisation. Such cleanliness or purity is everlasting and the soul gains honour and glory in the court of the Lord.