Shrine photos & advice on pujas please

[Sean]

Ramakrishna, yes indeed. I understand that TM uses Shakti mantras, and meditating with the god is a similar intense experience as meditating with other meditators, all finding the common ground, seething within it.

[sm78]

Philosophically I'm especially interested in the subject to object relationship you touch on, becoming subject to subject, that the puja illuminates: internal potential and individual self becoming external universality and Self.

Right to the point you have got, the steps I described are based on Shakta siddhanta, although roughly same steps are followed by everyone - difference "may be" in the understanding.

Fundamentally, shakta siddhanta says that this universe, internal and external are just contracted form of the fundamental shakti. When she contracts, the universe and the deities (both beings and stages of consciousnes) emerge, and when she expands into the nothingness everything merges into her in the process of dissolution. The full process of emergence (or dissolution) of all the deities and the universe is done in avarana puja which is mostly done externally for simplicity and concreteness. Buddhist do this internally/meditation in the Generation stage.

So in Puja first shakti occupies the worshipper and they become one. Then she occupies an external object and she, worshipper become one externally also. In the ultimate analysis there is no difference between external and internal. When one fully comprehends this the so called left handed rituals also fall into place. More than performing left handed rituals technically, I feel really comprehending (not just in intellectual analysis, which is also very important, but also in actual experience) this internal and external unity is the key.

Hence external ritual is as important as manas puja or internal worship, but in practical terms, good mental worship guarantees a good external worship.

[Sahasranama]

Is there any difference between this shakta nothingness and Buddhist shunyata?

[Sean]

Good stuff sm78, you have a detailed understanding of advaita on the level of the puja and the deities; moreover Shakti is the feminine that masculinity seeks unity with.

Western philosophy is deeply concerned with the structure of the subject to object relationship and the core discipline of epistemology and how it can be known that the world exists beyond the mind, etc was seriously undermined in the mid-20th century.

Subject cannot be theoretically linked to object for the reason that truth doesn�t consist in the intellect and instead of dual realms of consciousness and materiality there is ultimately only consciousness- our relationship with the world is really subject-subject and there are no epistemological gaps to bridge. (I�m also going to start a thread soon with notes I put together for talks I did last year covering this stuff...)

The darshan is the fundamental puja experience, giving one�s divine self back to oneself to enliven it.

[sm78]

@sahasranama: I am not intimately familiar with Buddhist philosophical concept of Shunyata or emptyness. I used nothingness only as an adjective to imply the situation when creation is no more.

Shakta siddhanta does not pose any radical new concept as ultimate reality (buddhist shunyata is a different philosophical speculation on the ultimate, may be or may not be same as what we refer as brahma) - what its does however is that it changes the relationship between what we deem as ultimate and what we percieve as ordinary.

[Sean]

sm78

By the way I carried out a Radha puja tonight including Asan suddhi, Achaman and Ahavana, very purifying indeed.

[yajvan]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

namasté sean,

Hi, I've kept shrines for a few years with the gods Saraswati, Krishna-Radha, Shiva, Parvati & Ganesh and would be pleased to hear of any improvements I might make. At present my pujas run like this, though I may skip the abhishekam-

Offer food, drink and flowers (usually dried)

Burn candel, incense and oil

Perform abhishekam (with yogurt), namaskara and aarti

Read from the Gita (Maharishi translation & commentary), do TM (20 mins) and take prasad

I am happy that you are performing pūjā-s (some call yajña). When performing pūjā it is all about wholeness, fullness of Being. I see you have a good understanding of this as I read your posts in this string.

If you are open to suggestions and since we're talking of wholeness, it is recommended we use fresh flowers and avoid dry flowers. You will also find with some looking around that a pūjā consists of 16 items. This 16 is consistent with wholeness, fullness - pūrṇam adaḥ pūrṇam idaṃ - That is full (whole) this is full (whole) - īśāvāsyaupaniṣad.


Another subtle point , it would be in good practice to keep mahaṛṣi mahesh yogī's photo off of the floor, the place where feet have been. I see you have the book on the floor yet is on cloth and this is fine.


I hope you receive the recommendations in the spirit they were offered, of good intent and not finding fault.

praṇām

[Sean]

yajvan, my thanks. About the photo, actually it's not on the floor, it's on a small glass base.

My puja is up to 12 items at the moment, but I'm always finding out more.

By the way I'm leaving town in July and the shrine is all staying where it is. I wonder if I can pass it on to my successor in the apartment here...

[yajvan]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

namast� sean

yajvan, my thanks. About the photo, actually it's not on the floor, it's on a small glass base.

My puja is up to 12 items at the moment, but I'm always finding out more.

By the way I'm leaving town in July and the shrine is all staying where it is. I wonder if I can pass it on to my successor in the apartment here...

Please consider the following....
the śāstra-s teach us that guru is brahmā, guru is viṣṇu , guru is maheśvarāya. For this reason we do not look down ... I see mahaṛṣi-ji is not on the floor directly, yet it is best to have him on par with the other devatā. Yet do as you see fit.

Regarding the offer of 16 items or steps. This is called ṣoḍaśa upacāra pūjā

• ṣoḍaśa = 6+10 or 16
• upacāra = ceremony; approach , service , attendance
• pūjā = worship

Perhaps you may wish to research this , and it will give you the items and the significance of each. Each offering has an inner and outer meaning.

Passing on the shrine - that is up to you, yet it would be wise to see who the next attendant will be, no?

praṇām

[Sean]

Thanks, very kind.