The Divinity of Sight

By Anonymous -

What should we see? What should we hold witness to? 

"Since, in the Hindu understanding, the deity is present in the image, the visual apprehension of the image is charged with religious meaning. Beholding the image is an act of worship, and through the eyes one gains the blessings of the divine" (Eck, 3)

After reading this quote, I started to think about the power of sight and what it means to see. According to Eck blessings are to be received through the eye; making the eye the orifice or connecting point in which the divine 'touches' a person. Te eye itself is an organ which depends on the brain's interpretations of the outside world. No matter the culture, a brain (normally) can see what is there - but can it feel what cannot be seen?

Through the eye, the divine may be able to 'physically' touch, not the eye itself, but rather, the mind of the devout. Most know the phrase "eyes are the window to the soul" - so would the opening of this window be the allowance of a deity to invite themselves in? (making the eyes more of a doorway as opposed to a window). I see a similarity between the allowance of a deity into your soul via the eyes and opening the window after and individual passes to let their soul out. The parallelism between souls and the 'opening' of a point in which the distinction between the physical and spiritual dimensions are blurred, is unmistakable.

The first thing that came to mind when I read this was about the Amish belief of not having photographs taken of themselves as well as the avoidance of worshiping images of God. This avoidance of iconography is a stark contrast to the Hindu understanding Diana Eck discusses. It's interesting what one culture deems a 'graven image' another sees as the true way to connect with the divine.


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