Fwd: Rites of Worship

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Hare Krsna Rites of WorshipMany people are afraid to do puja, specific, traditional rites ofworship,because they feel they don't have enough training or don't understandthemystical principles behind it well enough. To this concern I would saythat the priesthood in Hinduism is sincere, devout and dedicated. MostHindus depend on the priests to perform the pujas and sacraments forthem, or to train them to perform home puja and give them permission todo so through initiation, called diksha. However, simple pujas may beperformed by anyone wishing to invoke grace from God, Mahadevas anddevas.Love and dedication and the outpouring from the highest chakrasof spiritual energies of the lay devotee are often greater than anyprofessional priest could summon within himself. Devotees of thiscaliberhave come up in Hindu society throughout the ages with natural powersto invoke

the Gods and manifest in the lives of temple devotees manywondrous miracles.There is also an informal order of priests called pandara, which isessentially the self-appointed priest who is accepted by the communitytoperform pujas at a sacred tree, a simple shrine or an abandoned temple.Hemay start with the mantra Aum and learn a few more mantras as he goesalong. His efficaciousness can equal that of the most advanced Sanskritshastri, performing in the grandest temple. Mothers, daughters, aunts,fathers, sons, uncles, all may perform puja within their own home, anddo,as the Hindu home is considered to be nothing less than an extension ofthe nearby temple. In the Hindu religion, unlike the Western religions,there is no one who stands between man and God.Years ago, in the late 1950s, I taught beginning seekers how to offerthe minimal, simplest form of puja at a simple altar with fresh water,flowers, a

small candle, incense, a bell and a stone. This bringstogetherthe four elements, earth, air, fire and water--and your own mind isakasha, the fifth element. The liturgy is simply chanting "Aum." Thisis the generic puja which anyone can do before proper initiation comesfrom the right sources. People of any religion can perform Hindu pujain this way.All Hindus have guardian devas who live on the astral plane and guide,guard and protect their lives. The great Mahadevas in the temple thatthe devotees frequent send their deva ambassadors into the homes to livewith the devotees. A room is set aside for these permanent unseenguests,a room that the whole family can enter and sit in and commune inwardlywith these refined beings who are dedicated to protecting the familygeneration after generation. Some of them are their own ancestors. Atoken shrine in a bedroom or a closet or a niche in a kitchen is notenough to

attract these Divinities. One would not host an honored guestin one's closet or have him or her sleep in the kitchen and expect theguest to feel welcome, appreciated, loved. All Hindus are taught fromchildhood that the guest is God, and they treat any guest royally whocomes to visit. Hindus also treat God as God and devas as Gods when theycome to live permanently in the home.But liberal sects of Hinduism teach that God and devas are only figmentsof one's imagination. These sects are responsible for producing a morematerialistic and superficial group of followers. Not so the deep,mystical Hindu, who dedicates his home to God and sets a room aside forGod. To him and the family, they are moving into God's house and livingwith God. Materialistic, superficial Hindus feel that God might beliving,sometimes, maybe, in their house. Their homes are fraught withconfusion,deceptive dealings, back-biting, anger, even rage,

and their marriagesnowadays often end in divorce.They and all those who live in the lower nature are restricted fromperforming puja, because when and if they do puja, the invocation callsupthe demons rather than calling down the devas. The asuric beings invokedinto the home by angry people, and into the temple by angry priests,or by contentious, argumentative, sometimes rageful boards of directors,take great satisfaction in creating more confusion and escalating simplemisunderstandings into arguments leading to angry words, hurt feelingsandmore. With this in mind, once anger is experienced, thirty-one daysshouldpass to close the door on the chakras below the muladhara before pujamayagain be performed by that individual. Simple waving of incense beforethe icons is permissible, but not the passing of flames, ringing ofbellsor the chanting of any mantra, other than the simple recitation of

Aum.

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