Re: [nukkad] Ritual

["aryaone" <>]

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Tip of the day:  "Euphoria is not a business strategy" -- Louis Rossetto
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DHARMA AND RITUALS

Netgeek writes of a death in Auckland NZ where ritual was involved.

I invite thinkers to see how rituals develop. The essential element is where
a power base is seen outside of one's own being. This can be god, guru,
deva, devi, stone [Stonehenge, lingham], river [Ganga, Styx of the Nords],
temple [Solomon's temple with the wailing wall, Somnath, St. Paul's, Mount
Mary in Bandra] and so on.

Since the power of a spiritual nature is seen outside, there is a distance
to reaching it, and when there is a problem of illness, impending death,
court case, getting a job, the possibility of not getting timely help
arises.

This leads one to find a way of establishing quicker contact just in case.
Because of doubt whether this is valid or not, fear arises. This causes one
to think of propitiating, pleasing god.

This leads to many rasams, ceremonies. Of these one is seen to be, or
believed to be efficacious. Ritual is born.

Now ritual, once it has taken root, grows by it's own energy, which is
chaotic and unpredicatable. As only a few are overseeing it [priests,
mullahs, rabbis, gurus] to the exclusion of people at large, a kind of
closed monopoly develops. In case someone questions, he is taken to be a
non-believer and can run the risk of excommunication or worse.

Rituals have a way of shedding blood, as in Aztec ceremonies where living
hearts were torn out and the victim thrown to the crowds below who tore him
apart and took pieces home to eat with their families, and in kali temples
where dark worship ensues and black goats chickens and sometimes adivasi
children are [were] sacrificed.

Cults, closed societies, sacrifices, propitiation, pandering, bribing the
god, all rise and there is an incredible power-transfer into the hands of a
few who have not been chosen.

Ritual does not think, has no logic, supercedes human values, threatens
families [husband killing wife, parents, children because god said so] and
retards a great civilization to a place of darkness.

A man rolls on the ground from Tripura or someplace to Himalayas to
propitiate his devi. He suddenly is edified and deified, people standing on
roadsides to worship, get this, him!

There is mandir someplace in India which worships rats, because he is
ganeshes sawari. Get this, they will worship at the temple, but will stop
short from bringing the beasts home. And in case some one is bitten, the
gods are pleased.

The Parsis have a agaiari at Udwada since 750 AD or so where Jadav allowed
them sanctuary. Only India would have done this. So a new one crops up,
because all rituals involve a lot of money to be made. To attract people a
story goes that the marble wall at the entrance is magical and will show the
devil to an evil person and god to a good one. So predictably everyone sees
god. No one says f--- o--- I have come to worship, get lost idiot!

Before Pakistan Karachi had a temple in Manora, a small island facing the
Indian Ocean just like Bombay does. Next to it someone buried a Moslem man
supposed to be a sufi or something. Soon all Hindus were gone, so the dargah
began to eat up the temple, which now is a sliver, with dirty gods and bird
droppings.

Drama! One night the roof of the dargah collapsed killing a some and maiming
others. This was taken to mean the sufi does not like Hindu idols in his
place, so rest of land was eaten up, now Shiva has barely  10 foot square
and no running water and is entire;ly closed up and the door, a marvelous
etched piece of art with silver filigree, nailed shut.

In 1980s the new roof again collapsed and things did not look good for
Mahesh. Someone floated a story just in time that now the sufi is mad
because people did not respect other gods. so no one will evict him and he
can pass his old age in peace. Wondrously, an occasional Hindu wanders in
with his family and worships unmolested. Wonder who started  the story that
you mess with the Hindus and the shrine and sufi baba will have your --s.

So what should be done?

Think for yourself, yar. Figure out what is happening, what spiritual
benefit can arise, what compromise can be avoided. Above all, work from the
point of view that real spirituality is IN you and does not need ceremony
nor ritual.

It takes great courage to do this, because those who are bound will not want
you to be free. Once you have seen the real way, gradually help your loved
one.

Know this. No one gets killed quicker than the person who wants to be free
of ritual who lives in a closed bigoted superstitious society. So if you are
a Bani Yahoud [Jewish] and want to question the wall, don't. Mum is the
word, look after your own understanding, settle in Coorgh and sound off.
With fresh coffee and cashews roasted on open fire and the company of your
beloved.

I am for choice. You choose, no one else. Good or bad, you choose.

Arya.
























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