From the Land where the Divine meets Reality

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Diana Eck's description of the richness associated with Hinduism was one of the most interesting reads for me. Reading the manner in which she described the opulence and relevance that goes into the preparation and viewing of holy sites and statues in India made me view my own origin in a new light. 

I feel like sometimes when you're reply engulfed in a particular surrounding it somehow takes you father from appreciating its nuances, however looking at it from someone else perspective allowed me to see the beauty in practices that to me have to an extent lost their luster as I have been accustomed to them for so long. I found the way she spoke about there being an air of divinity not just in the idol but also in the location that holds it, when she talks about the process of "taking darshan" very interesting. This is something I have experienced countless times my life, as the belief is that the location that houses a specific idol has meaning to itself which in some causes holds more significance that the idol. 

This book for me has been a unique experience as I was able to look at how individual that are novel to the religion/religious practices and their significance view the religion. Personally, I found that very refreshing and in some way it felt as though I was rediscovering the opulence of the religion I have been practicing my whole life. At the same time, I believe because I have been practicing the religion for so long, reading the book felt like I was reading a somewhat reduced version of the magnanimity the religion has to offer, not only regarding darshan, but in several other religious nuances and practices. This is completely understandable as I don't think it is reasonable for me to expect a full breakdown of everything significant to the religion to be found in a book. 

In any case, the message that the book propagates of Hinduism bringing the divine to earth, to reality in a tangible form through idol worship and darshan; I believe was very well put forth by the author. 

Comments

  1. Liv GregoryApril 28, 2022 at 9:30 AM

    That second image is stunning, I would really like to be in the presence of that to look at it in real life.

    ReplyDelete

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