A place of worship in order to serve its purpose should enable us to shed our arrogance born of a false sense of identification with the sense objects; to overcome our selfishness and extreme concerns about material objects; and lastly our hatred born out of ignorance.
Arrogance when gone leaves a vacuum which is filled with humility. Only the contemplation of the enormity of the Godhead and its omnipresence, omniscience and omnipotence can lead us to true humility. This is attained through Bakthi Yoga. Selfishness is replaced by feelings of goodwill and charity towards all creatures irrespective of species, religion, Creed and nationality. This is attained through Karma Yoga. The source of all hatred is fear; the root of all fears is in ignorance; and the only cure for ignorance is in knowledge. This is attained through Jnana Yoga. A place of worship be it Mosque, Temple or Church or other abode of the supreme should provide opportunities for practicing all the three.
When you kneel and pray in church and sing the praises of the Lord, let humility fill your heart and let us be lightened and enlightened by the knowledge that He is the source of all wealth and power, we are but his instruments. When you feed the poor or educate the deserving, let Charity adorn your hand and help you to realize that giving is the true secret of becoming prosperous. When we listen to the sermon and realize the transient nature of the human condition let us truly appreciate the futility of hatred and the need to understand the other person and build bridges of friendship and love.
Arrogance when gone leaves a vacuum which is filled with humility. Only the contemplation of the enormity of the Godhead and its omnipresence, omniscience and omnipotence can lead us to true humility. This is attained through Bakthi Yoga. Selfishness is replaced by feelings of goodwill and charity towards all creatures irrespective of species, religion, Creed and nationality. This is attained through Karma Yoga. The source of all hatred is fear; the root of all fears is in ignorance; and the only cure for ignorance is in knowledge. This is attained through Jnana Yoga. A place of worship be it Mosque, Temple or Church or other abode of the supreme should provide opportunities for practicing all the three.
When you kneel and pray in church and sing the praises of the Lord, let humility fill your heart and let us be lightened and enlightened by the knowledge that He is the source of all wealth and power, we are but his instruments. When you feed the poor or educate the deserving, let Charity adorn your hand and help you to realize that giving is the true secret of becoming prosperous. When we listen to the sermon and realize the transient nature of the human condition let us truly appreciate the futility of hatred and the need to understand the other person and build bridges of friendship and love.
Let us be Religious but not Religioncentric.
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