From the Archive of Gitananda Yoga Gesellschaft Deutschland
e. V.
4. Juli 2012
Rituals: Creating heaven on earth
By Meenakshi Devi
Bhavanani
The division between the ideal and the real has always posed
a dilemma for any thinking contemplative human. On the one hand there exists this
perfect state of affairs envisioned in mind, and at the other end of the pole,
the nitty-gritty, the mundane existence of day to day life. Artiste have long
attempted to "bridge that gap" by creating "
a beauty which did not yet exist",
bringing into the concrete reality (apparent) of the senses this other-worldly
loveliness. Musicians, sculptors, painters, poets, writers, dancers and actors
have all tried to make "the ideal real" and accessible through human sensory perceptions.
But when the curtain falls, when one closes the last page of that much loved
book, when one leaves the museum, when the lights go off; one is brought back
to earth with a thud.
The
Rishis discovered that the ideal can be
made real in a more permanent manner through various ritualistic practices. The
sacredness which illumines the mundane can be invoked and placed into a proper
framework through many ritualistic practices.
In the Hindu life style these
rituals are many and infuse the daily reality with the brilliant light of the
ideal. Some simple daily rituals which serve this purpose are the lighting of
the oil lamp morning and evening, giving a soft glow of comfort at the important
transitions of the day. Various
Mantra and ritualistic gestures are used
to salute the rising sun.
Kholams, geometric
Yantric formations,
are drawn at the threshold of the house, creating an ethereal sense of wonder
in all those who enter. The flame is waved before the idols (ideals) enshrined
within the household's
Puja Room. A portion of food is offered to crows
and other animals before partaking of the meal. Incense is burned before the family
shrine. Various
Mantras and chanted appropriate to the time of day.
This is only to describe a few of the ritualistic acts which give order, dignity
and meaning to the mundane aspects of daily life. In the larger cycles of time,
more elaborate rituals make the "rites of passage" - birth, naming ceremony, taking
of the first solid food, ear-boring ceremony, attainment of puberty, marriage
and death - all are placed into an "ideal" framework which illumines the importance
and significance of the moment with ritualistic words, thought and deeds.
Reverence for the Guru is also expressed through significant rituals which try
to capture the glorious beauty of the Guru's presence. The ideal manifests and
becomes real through rituals, especially if the ritual is grounded in valid archetypal
symbols which serve as bridge between the unconsciousness of
Samskara and
of the consciousness of in-the-moment, aware Yogic living.
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