6. NOTHING MYSTERIOUS !

NOTHING MYSTERIOUS TRADITION DEMYSTIFIED

Q. Swamiji, do you agree with idol worship?

First of all, be very clear: what we call 'idol worship' is not the worship of idols!

It is worship through idols.

Obviously, no idol worshipper is worshipping the idol, the statue itself. He is worshipping the Divine, which has been given a visible form in the idol.

Is that a foolish thing?

Let us look deeply into the matter.

As we know, all life springs from the same source. Everything in the universe is created from the same raw materials, and has a common underlying structure. You may not be aware of this, because we only see the surface variations. As a part of the universe, we are like tiny mirrors that reflect the exact composition and structure of the universe. Understand this concept clearly.

Everything in Existence is linked.

The universe is composed of five major elements, five major energies - earth, water, fire, air and ether (space). All these elements (known as Panchabhoota in Sanskrit) are expressions of the same Cosmic energy, which we may call the Divine, God, or Parashakti.

Man himself

(the microcosm or atman) reflects these qualities of the universe (the macrocosm or brahman). Man too draws from these five major energies; he too is made of these five elements. He arises from these elements, lives in these elements and ultimately returns to these elements.

Naturally, throughout life, man longs to return to his original source, to 'return home'. So he tries to attune himself to these major energies.

Religion is nothing but the process of creating a communion between man and these vital energies.

The grossest form of cosmic energy is that of earth. In Man, it is represented by our body itself. As the first step towards attuning himself to the Divine, man seeks out a connection with the earth in the form of earthen idols, created in his own shape.

Man needs this 'form' to help him commune with the Divine.

For a beginner on the spiritual journey, it is difficult to even conceive of the Divine in the abstract. When it is given a form, the Divine is crystallised into something he understands and can relate to. With an idol, he can commune with the Divine in the language that he is familar with.

The hundreds of Hindu deities are nothing but expressions of the Divine. And yet anyone can talk to them, pray to or play with them, seek solace or give thanks. The whole awesome, indefinable nature of the Divine is scaled down to comforting proportions in the form of the deity. It has to be this way; the Divine without form is simply too terrifying a concept for the ordinary mind.

At a deeper, subtler level, there is one more message being reinforced the idol before you is cast in the same form as yours, and yet it is divine.

What does that say about you? Think about it!

So idols are definitely necessary and helpful as a 'first step', a springing board into spirituality.

As you grow spiritually, as you enter into meditation, you will be able to commune beautifully with the Divine even without any physical form in front of you. Just as children stop playing with dolls as they grow older, you will drop the idols on your own when the time comes. This is the ultimate aim of religion!

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Q. Swamiji, why do you wear a saffron robe?

This is a question that I have to answer at least ten times every day! Especially in India, where the colour saffron has become deeply associated with orthodox Hinduism, my saffron robe (actually it's an ochre robe) attracts a lot of questions from skeptics, especially modern youngsters.

Have you heard of an emerging field called colour therapy?

Colour therapy is based on the fact that colours have subtle qualities that can deeply impact your mental state. Whether you realize it or not, different colours can generate different thoughts and emotions.

There is a definite scientific explanation for this:

What we call the colour of an object is nothing but the wavelength of light that it reflects. Since we ourselves have an invisible electromagnetic field around us (what is known as the 'aura' or 'plasma body'), our own magnetic field reacts with the waves of different colours to create a flux or reaction, which we interpret as 'sensations' or 'emotions'. For instance, when the wavelength of a colour and the frequency of a person's field 'match' each other, it produces a feeling of harmony and peace.

Different people react to colours in different ways, but there are many general similarities. The Luscher Colour Test developed in Basel maps 25 colours, and shows that most people pick out the same colours as having definite 'personalities'.

These reactions are not just emotional; we can see physiological changes also. Very often, it is a physical change in the body that causes us to interpret a colour as 'dangerous', 'calming', 'happy' and so on.

When exposed to the colour red, most people show an increase in respiration rate, heartbeat and blood pressure so naturally, we think of red as 'exciting' or 'dangerous'. When exposed to pure blue, the body reacts in exactly the opposite way, and of course, blue is commonly experienced as a calming colour. Every mother knows that if her baby has trouble sleeping, a blue nightlamp in the room can help the baby (and the mother!) sleep much better. That's how certain colours have become traditionally associated with certain qualities or emotions.

Without giving it a name, we have been practising colour therapy for centuries!

In India, everything from food to human nature is classified based on its innate qualities into three types: sattvic (tranquil), rajasic (active) or tamasic (disruptive). Colours also can be classified in the same way: the colour red, for example, is a rajasic colour. It stimulates activity in the brain. That's why red is the colour of danger and love!

White is a sattvic colour. When you wear white, the energy flow is beautiful. The colour white has the power to make you more tranquil and receptive. White helps you absorb information more effectively. That's why, the world over, white is the preferred colour for school uniforms!

Likewise, the colour saffron (ochre) has the power to create silence in your mind. It stimulates your vital energy and creates a meditative state of mind, not only in the wearer but also in the beholders. This is the reason saffron has been traditionally worn by spiritual masters in India. It has nothing to do with Hinduism!

Be very clear: all these ancient rituals have a certain scientific basis to them. Rituals are the distillation of centuries of wisdom and the tapas (spiritual efforts) of innumerable enlightened masters. Rituals have lost their credibility today only because their true meaning has been lost upon the masses over time. Only the shell of the ritual remains; the spirit has departed.

Today, science itself agrees that certain colours, sounds and actions can deeply impact your state of mind, activate desired areas of the brain, and expand your consciousness. To disregard the significance of rituals, just because you cannot understand the science behind them, is like refusing to acknowledge the existence of bacteria simply because you have not seen them yourself!

So even if they seem irrelevant to you today, never underestimate the true potential of rituals. When performed in the proper way, rituals have tremendous power to bring about unimaginable levels of awareness and change.