Why is Pilgrimage an Important aspect of the Hindu Religion ?
The following essay addresses that of the Hindu pilgrimage as to why
pilgrimage is an important aspect of Hindu religion? Firstly, the essay
focusses on points which support pilgrimage as a fundamental and key
aspect of the Hindu community.
Secondly, a perspective denying pilgrimages have any significant role
for Hindu and their religion is discussed. It does seem though, to me,
that without the aspect of pilgrimage, the Hindu religion would still
function quite noramally because although the pilgrimage sites give
darsan, they do not seem to be able to assist people with their day to
day problems, whereas holy men do.
First though we need to know exactly what darsan means to Hindus.
Darsan means seeing in Hindu religion and when people go to a temple,
they say they do not go to worship but rather for darsan - they go to
see the image of the deity. The pinacle act of Hindu worship, is to
stand in the presence of the deity and to look upon the image with their
eyes, so as to see and be seen by the deity. The deity is believed to
actually be within the image, and beholding the deity image is a form of
worship where through the eyes one gains blessings.
A pilgrimage is a religious journey; people undertake pilgrimages so
they can worship at special places which are connected to their
religion. Journeying to holy places of pilgrimage are generally carried
out as acts of faith and devotion in accummulating religious merit or to
atone for sins. Pilgrimages are also regarded by Hindus as a religious
duty from which darsan can be attained.
There are thousands of pilgrimage sites - tirthas (sacred, fords or
crossings) in India, where many places of pilgrimage are renowned for
their divine images. And it is the darsan of these divine images that
are sought , because the darsan is believed by Hindus to be far greater
and significant than that which can be granted and given by holy men
i.e. sadhus. It entails then, that holy places of pilgrimages are an
extension of additional darsan, of which can be given and received by
travelling on a pilgrimage.
For example, pilgrims go to the sacred hill of Tirupati for the darsan
of Sri Venkatesvara, an ancient icon believed to be a form of Visnu.
According to legend, the Lord came to bless a particular devotee who was
faithful in his duties towards his parents. The devotee took no time
eye level of the spectator, who looks up at the Trinity and down at the
With guidance from principle beliefs and the XIVth Dalai Lama, Buddhist bioethics and the devotional practice of Temple Puja have an impact of high significance on individuals, and the Buddhist community in ultimately, guiding the life of the adherent to achieve total enlightenment. As the modern figurehead for Buddhism, the XIVth Dalai Lama has contributed to the formulation and reassessment of the Buddhist approach to ethical issues.
Their Eyes Were Watching God is a story centered on the idea of life cycles. The experiences that Janie faces and struggles through in her life represent the many cycles that she has been present for. Each cycle seem to take place with the start of each new relation ship that she faces. Each relationship that Janie is involved in not just marriages, blooms and withers away like the symbol of Janie's life the pear tree from her childhood.
In the Light of Reverence is a film about the destruction and exploitation of the sacred lands of the people who have worshipped them for years: the Native Americans. Freedom of religion is something Americans take pride in. However, many religions are still looked down upon for their practices which is displayed clearly in this film. It upsets me greatly to hear how ignorant many people are about the Native American religion. They call the prayer bundles “dirty laundry” and say nature has no “similarities with the church at all” (In the Light of Reverence). Religion has never had a specific definition. All religions have different practices and themes. It just so happens that Native Americans practice their religion in regard to nature. Nature is sacred land to Native Americans and as one women said in the film, “you can’t have a religion without the land” (In the Light of Reverence). Native Americans have always believed that natural world is holy. Destroying the Earth will never lead to world peace (Lyons 11). I agree with the Native Americans that we need to have more respect for the Earth we live on. Chief Oren Lyons said in his essay, “we need to learn how to respect nature” (Lyons 6). If we keep treating the
fun on the island. Piggy represents the logical side of humans by his thick glasses (called specs in the novel) so he responds to the chaos with a plea of order.
"Their Eyes Were Watching God: Critical Essays: Love, Independence, and Judgment as Major Themes of Their Eyes Were Watching God - CliffsNotes ." CliffsNotes . Wiley Publishing, Inc., n.d. Web. 2 Dec. 2010. .
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The Eyes are the terrifying and aggressive secretive enforcers of the law. The Eyes symbolize God and how he is always watching, they are always watching as well. “I wonder who told them. It could have been a neighbour, watching our car pull out from the driveway in the morning, acting on a hunch, tipping them off for a gold star on someone’s list. It could even have been the man who got us the passports; why not get paid twice? Like them, even, to plant the passport forgers themselves, a net for the unwary. The Eyes of God run over all the earth.”(65). This symbolism is an important feature of the book because it creates fear for the citizens of Gilead. To the citizens it symbolizes a higher authority that is capable of doing great harm and is always watching. “We aren’t allowed inside the buildings anymore; but who would want to go in? Those buildings belong to the Eyes.” (166). The fear that the Eyes add to the story line reminds the reader how aggressive and evil the government of Gilead is, that the characters of the novel have such strong fear towards these people. From this the characters weaknesses are apparent. For example the main character Offred is a strong woman who does not express fear, though when you hear her talk about the Eyes you see a part of her weakness and fear peak through. In addition a feature that the Eyes bring to the novel is suspense. Whenever the characters see the van with the
...announcement that she was indeed dating Scott but had no knowledge that he was married and that she was not a suspect in the investigation. Laci’s Parents had turned on him once this came to the light. Police were going to treat Laci’s disappearance as a homicide but on April 13 of 2003 a couple spotted what looked like a male fetus. On the next day a pregnant woman washed up in the same area of the male fetus in the Berkeley Bay. Forensic scientists confirmed that the fetus and the woman was Laci’ and her and Scott’s son with matching DNA. On April 18, 2003 Scott was arrested at gun point. Police felt as though Scott was trying to flee to Mexico because he had dyed his hair and grown a goatee and had $15,000 in cash, survival gear and his brother’s ID. It took the jury seven days to reach a verdict of the death penalty. Scott Peterson is now sitting on death row.
The eyes represent G-d staring down upon and judging American society as a moral wasteland. Just like the billboard is left faded and ignored after “many paintless days”, religion is neglected. Myrtle, one of the characters who resides in the valley, abandons typical religious beliefs by committing adultery and trying to obtain wealth and prosperity through Tom, demonstrating her rejection of spiritual values for the goal of achieving material wealth. The eyes and the advertisement also suggest the decay of the Americ...
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stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to
Piggy's literal function in this novel is to be the intellectual and logical thinker to counteract the emotional thinking of the other boys. From the beginning, Piggy viewed everything logically. He quickly came to the realization that the boys may be on the island for a long time, when he told Ralph "Nobody don't know we're here. Your dad don't know, nobody don't know" (9), contrary to Ralph's assumption that his father, who happened to be a naval officer, would simply come and rescue them. While Ralph became the natural leader based on his charisma, "what intelligence had been shown was traceable to Piggy" (18/19). However, it is unfortunate that this intelligence eventually led Piggy to his demise. Piggy's direct way of analyzing a situation and voicing his opinion tended to make him quite un...
... the eyes of a blind man, but also to appreciate the world through the eyes of a man of God.
Religion is the one element of life that has connected the races and societies of the world for hundreds of years. It has given meaning to lives that may seem otherwise hopeless. Religion has provided for a universal language and culture among those who believe in a higher power. The spirit or being receiving the worship and praise may not be the same, but the practices are usually similar and serve the same purpose--to give direction, insight, courage, and a divine connection.