Remembering/Talking/Praying to God in times of darkness

[IcyCosmic]

Namaste,

This is a hard question to explain, but have you ever been in a situation where you feel like you want to

*Remember
*Talk
*Pray

to god, but you can not. Because you feel like in that specific moment you're engaging in a sin, or are unclean, or something to that effect.
I was wondering if in these situations I should feel free to do the above.

[Jodhaa]

Namaste,

IMO, the times where we feel the weakest, or most "unworthy" are the times when we need God the most. If we feel a compulsion to reach out to God even though we are doing something we shouldn't be, I consider that God trying to say, "Hey! Remember me?". God is trying to steer us in the right direction by guiding our attention back to him/her/it.

God takes us as we are, sinners or saints. That being said, try to use this awareness to stop doing acts you think are destructive, if you can.

Peace!

[Equinox]

Vannakkam Icy

I was wondering if in these situations I should feel free to do the above.

Yup, in my opinion, go ahead. God accepts us no matter what we are or what we do, however unclean it is. But we should always try to learn from our mistakes and reduce our sins. That's the important thing.


Aum Namah Shivaya

[Eastern Mind]

Namaste,

This is a hard question to explain, but have you ever been in a situation where you feel like you want to

*Remember
*Talk
*Pray

to god, but you can not. Because you feel like in that specific moment you're engaging in a sin, or are unclean, or something to that effect.
I was wondering if in these situations I should feel free to do the above.

Vannakkam Icy: You always provide though provoking questions. I have indeed been in this mood, and for me, its a signal for a time out. I'll skip sadhana for a few days, not go to temple, maybe go for a drive in the country ... all things non-religious.

One of the things that God does for us when we're particularly religious is accelerate our karma. This is just a natural process. Sometimes it gets accelerated a bit too much, like a car out of control. So then we need to slow down.

Certainly the Hindu temple or shrine room, unlike in Abrahamic religions, is no place to go when you're really upset. Before or after, once you've calmed down, sure, but not during. Why? This is because everything is intensified. Darshan or shakti is like a drug in some ways. It can intensify the mood you are already in.

But different people will have different opinions on this.

The funeral custom of staying away for 31 days is an example of this. Homes are meant to be the places of solace, not temples.

Aum Namasivaya

[IcyCosmic]

Thankyou all for the brilliant replies.
What do you mean by acceleration of Karma, EM? & could you expand on the 31 day custom, I'm not familiar with it.

[Eastern Mind]

Thankyou all for the brilliant replies.
What do you mean by acceleration of Karma, EM? & could you expand on the 31 day custom, I'm not familiar with it.

Vannakkam: I don't know if this is a common belief or not, but most certainly it is one I hold. I think of karma as a series of experiences that you have to go through because of past actions. You cannot run from your karma. It follows you along like a shadow. But my understanding is that once you step on the path of sadhana, it can accelerate. Think of it as a fire, and by throwing more gas on the fire, the fire will burn faster. A yogi, especially one in an austere order, knows full well how this works, and its intentional and called burning up karma. Without intentional breaks from the intensity, we could find ourselves in insane asylums.

The 31 day thing (After a death, people avoid their shrine rooms and going to temples ... can be less, can be more than 31) was just an example and reference to how East and West thinking varies on some things like anger, depression and that. In the east we are more prone to take a religious break in times of stress, like grieving or anger, but in the west it is more of a call to become more religious. But this varies from sect to sect to, as some are more 'western' in their views. Maybe 'dual' is a better word than western. Not sure. Anyways feel free to ignore my comments.

Aum Namasivaya

[IcyCosmic]

Vannakkam: I don't know if this is a common belief or not, but most certainly it is one I hold. I think of karma as a series of experiences that you have to go through because of past actions. You cannot run from your karma. It follows you along like a shadow. But my understanding is that once you step on the path of sadhana, it can accelerate. Think of it as a fire, and by throwing more gas on the fire, the fire will burn faster. A yogi, especially one in an austere order, knows full well how this works, and its intentional and called burning up karma. Without intentional breaks from the intensity, we could find ourselves in insane asylums.

The 31 day thing (After a death, people avoid their shrine rooms and going to temples ... can be less, can be more than 31) was just an example and reference to how East and West thinking varies on some things like anger, depression and that. In the east we are more prone to take a religious break in times of stress, like grieving or anger, but in the west it is more of a call to become more religious. But this varies from sect to sect to, as some are more 'western' in their views. Maybe 'dual' is a better word than western. Not sure. Anyways feel free to ignore my comments.

Aum Namasivaya

Hm, very interesting indeed. In regards to the Karmic acceleration when taking shelter with the Divine; does that imply that not only does karma start to speed up in regards to good things as you move on a more pristine path, but the bad karma allotted to you also starts to move at a more rigorous pace in order for you to remove it entirely?
So in lehmans terms through the lens of a common man, more good will happen but alot more bad will also happen to you.

[Eastern Mind]

Vannakkam: The soul's evolution back to a merger with God happens at a rate. Sometimes we meet two old friends. One has changed ... a lot, while the other hardly changed at all. Why? It's because they are on two entirely different tracks. One is on a jet, and the other is on a bicycle.

Yes, there is no good or bad karma, so in all cases it is just karma. But the rate that it hits you is faster.

Aum Namasivaya

[Sahasranama]

This does not sound like a Hindu point of view, perhaps it's influenced by new age thinking. God does not need to "accelerate" karma, because God can burn karma instantly. Not entering temples or shrines during periods of death has nothing to do with taking a break from burning karma, it has to do with rules of purity and nothing more. There are other religious duties during times of death to destroy sins of the deceased person, your theory makes absolutely no sense. Times of distress are also suitable for turning towards God. In the Bhagavad Gita Arta bhakti is described as one forms of devotion. There are many stories of devotees turning to God in hard times, Kunti even prays to Krishna to bring her more misery so she will always remember him.

[Anirudh]

Namaste Eastern Mind + Sahasranama,

What exactly this Karma burning or acceleration karma means? Kindly elaborate.