Being Seen and Being Known

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Being Seen and Being Known

Religious sight and the human need for recognition

    Darshan is the Hindu worship practice of seeing a deity typically in the form of a murti (a sacred image or statue). This practice involves an exchange where the practitioner is also seen by the deity. Darshan offers a jumping-off point for comparative religious discussions of divine-human relationships. Humans have a need to be seen, recognized, and known by the divine as well as one another.

    Mutual recognition is an essential piece to understanding the practice of darshan. Deities a believed to be truly present in Murtis and must be seen for a Hindu to receive the deities blessing. Deities must also see the practitioners to know them. The visual and experiential components seen in Darshan are essential aspects of Hindu devotion.

    Some other religious traditions encourage practitioners to train their eyes to see the divine in ordinary life. Seeing the divine in nature, work, suffering, and other people takes attention and discipline while requiring some level of interpretation. This can contrast with the practice of seeking out sacred sights to experience the divine, but I do not think we need to have only one or the other. We can work to see the sacred or supernatural all around us and also spend time in places with palpable energy; both can be grounding and regenerating.

    Seeing and being seen, knowing and being known creates an intimacy that can be scary to many, but is nonetheless essential for human flourishing. When individuals are separated from their community both the individual and the collective suffer. I think about how many of the individuals I serve grew up in institutions hidden from the general public. They were separated from their families and potential peers causing severe damage, even when unknown or unacknowledged, to everyone. 

    I was part of a conversation a few weeks ago about being proximate to different types of suffering. We discussed how we don't need to always have a way to relieve suffering but that being present for someone who is suffering can be enough. When we are not proximate to different types of suffering it is easy to be entirely unaware of certain issues; examples include poverty, disability, and any other marginalization.

    For an issue to be known, understood, and addressed, it must first be seen. For an individual to be known, understood, and helped they must first be seen.

Free use images found at pexels.com


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