Guest guest Posted March 9, 2004 Report Share Posted March 9, 2004 ______________________ ______________________ Message: 25 Wed, 25 Feb 2004 16:56:04 -0500 "Lady Joyce" <shaantih (AT) comcast (DOT) net> Lent and ashes on the forehead... Dear Friends: When I was out today I noticed a few people with the familiar ashes on the forehead that I remember from my childhood raised in the Roman Catholic faith. If my memory serves me well, this marks Ash Wednesday, which is the beginning of Lent. Vicki Woodyard, no chocolate until Easter :-) Does anyone know where the tradition began and the significance of the ashes on the forehead? It bears so much similarity to the bindu that I am curious if there is any relationship... Love, Joyce Dear JOYCE namasthe.. It is to make us remember that when we leave this eternal body we will also go into ashes which leaves us nothing behind except the ashes.. It is generally said in vedas that when you apply ashes on your forehead chant the "mrithyunjaya mantra " and apply it.. This will make us realise everytime about the impermanancy of this worldly things afterwhich we waste the our full energy in acquiring..........?????/ With love jayshree [This message contained attachments] ______________________ ______________________ /join "Love itself is the actual form of God." Sri Ramana In "Letters from Sri Ramanasramam" by Suri Nagamma ------ <*> / <*> <*> Your ------ __ IncrediMail - Email has finally evolved - Click Here Attachment: (image/gif) IMSTP.gif [not stored] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 9, 2004 Report Share Posted March 9, 2004 Lent and ashes on the forehead... Dear Friends: When I was out today I noticed a few people with the familiar ashes on the forehead that I remember from my childhood raised in the Roman Catholic faith. If my memory serves me well, this marks Ash Wednesday, which is the beginning of Lent. ..Does anyone know where the tradition began and the significance of the ashes on the forehead? It bears so much similarity to the bindu that I am curious if there is any relationship... Love, Joyce ================================================= Tony had responded... Namaste, More similar to vibhuti ash, given at every temple bhajan. Same representation ashes to ashes dust to dust. Catholicism could fit into Hinduism quite well, there are far more different sects in Hinduism hahahah..........ONS..Tony. Jayshree wrote... Dear JOYCE namasthe.. It is to make us remember that when we leave this eternal body we will also go into ashes which leaves us nothing behind except the ashes.. It is generally said in vedas that when you apply ashes on your forehead chant the "mrithyunjaya mantra " and apply it.. This will make us realise everytime about the impermanancy of this worldly things afterwhich we waste the our full energy in acquiring..........?????/ With love jayshree ======================================================= Thank you both for your responses. And yes, they do seem very similar, don't they? "Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return." That is what the priest says when applying the ashed to your forehead on Ash Wednesday. I decided to take a quick look online and found the two excerpts below on the subject of Ash Wednesday. Tony is right that Catholicism could fit right into Hinduism, a thought which would scandalize some Hindus and Catholics. Life is so much fun, isn't it? Oh well, what does it really matter anyway... Ashes to ashes, dust to dust... >From dust you came and to dust you shall return... What is Ash Wednesday? Also known as dies cinerum, Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent, a penitential season observed by many Christians. While the exact date of Ash Wednesday varies from year to year, it is always in either the month of February or March, depending on where Easter falls in the liturgical year. On this day, worshippers attend services at which they receive ashes on their foreheads. The celebrant marks the forehead of each worshipper, often saying "Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return." Where do the ashes come from? The ashes consist of burned palms from the previous year's Palm Sunday service. The ashes are blessed by a priest or pastor. Why do people receive ashes? Ashes are viewed throughout Christian history as a symbol of humility and sacrifice for those who wear them... from http://www.beliefnet.com/story/67/story_6786_1.html Ash Wednesday is the day Lent begins and occurs forty days before Good Friday. It is a day of penitence, to clean the soul before Lent and before fasting. Roman Catholic, Anglican, and some other churches hold special services at which worshippers are marked with ashes as a symbol of death, and sorrow for sin. Devotees of the faith take part in the Ash Wednesday service where they approach the altar before the beginning of Mass. A priest then dips his thumb into ashes previously blessed, marks the forehead with the sign of the cross and says the words: "Remember man that thou art dust and unto dust thou shalt return." from http://www.bbc.co.uk/gloucestershire/faith/2004/02/ash_wednesday.shtml [This message contained attachments] ______________________ ______________________ /join "Love itself is the actual form of God." Sri Ramana In "Letters from Sri Ramanasramam" by Suri Nagamma ------ ------ __ IncrediMail - Email has finally evolved - Click Here /join "Love itself is the actual form of God." Sri Ramana In "Letters from Sri Ramanasramam" by Suri Nagamma / Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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