Visiting Hindu Temples in New York - Research Paper Example

? Visit to Hindu temples in New York One of the most interesting aspects of my job is that it makes me travel, something that I always loved to do. During my recent trip, I was in New York with an assignment to document the cultural backgrounds and the heritages of the Hindu temples. It was one of the engrossing and exciting opportunities in my life. Our class trip was scheduled in New York this November 2011; where I had an opportunity to come close to the religion and philosophies of Hinduism, know more about the cultures, the idols that are being worshipped. Hence discovering new avenues of mythology and knowing peculiar but amazing facts about the believes of Hindus. On the morning of November 1st 2011, I packed my bags and was out for a trip to New York, probably the most busy and populated cities of USA. My trip mainly aimed at visiting the various Hindu temples in the city and jotting my experiences as this was my field work. I got a list of the Hindu temples as a part of my assignment that I had to cover. My first visit on 2nd November, 2011 was to the Ganesha Temple, located in 45-57 Bowne street, New York. It was small frame temple, was completed in the initial days of 1977. I then came to learn the deity worshipped was that of the elephant god, who is known as Ganesha. The idol of the deity is gorgeously dressed. As per the traditional Hindu belief, Lord Ganesha's blessings are indispensible for success in all mundane affairs. So Ganesha puja is supposed to be an essential part, before any Hindu religious activity. Customarily carried out be it a marriage or any other ritual. As per Hindu Mythology, Lord Ganesha is the first son of Lord Shiva and Universal Mother Goddess Parvati and is an embodiment of knowledge. As per traditional belief, Lord Ganesha was beheaded during the time of his birth, however instead of a human head his head was replaced by that of an elephant. Despite the fact that this is a mythological anecdote, what really amazes me is how the story is mingling with so many Hindus sentiments and how it has got a profound influence on the way of life of a devout Hindu. The daily rituals of Pujas are performed with utmost sincerity and full devotion, both in the temple, and as also I came to learn, as a daily way of life of many Hindus here in New York, although they are miles away from their home country. In addition to the daily rituals, the weekend services are conducted by volunteer priests. Structurally, the temple follows the guidance laid down in the Hindu scriptures for temple building, also known as the Agama Shastra in Sanskrit. Agama Shastra also provides a departure from the traditionally accepted ways of religious conduct and worship that has been laid down in the main body of Hindu scriptures of Vedas, Upanishads, Epics and Puranas. My next visit was to the Om Sai Mandir, located in the heart of the city at 45-11 Smart Street. c. The temple is open from early morning till late evening, and contains the idol Sri Sai Baba. All visitors were welcome to visit the temple and seek the Baba's blessings, whether they were devout followers of the Guru or not. Sai Baba is a real life figure, who preached his faith to his followers during historical times. This is in contrast to Lord Ganesha, whose originates from Hindu mythology. He was a spiritual saint, a fakir (beggar). His followers believe that he helped his contemporaries and disciples with his miracles. The Baba is a Hindu Guru, a mystic philanthropist as well as educator of religious virtues. In the religious teachings of the Baba, one witnesses a blend of Hindu and Muslim beliefs and ways of life. So, like the Sufi Movement, the preaching of the Baba heralds the confluence of both Hindus and Muslims religious thoughts. To my surprise this is the place one can say, this temple occupies a position of importance for people of both the faiths who live here in New York, be their origin in India or in other countries of the sub-continent like Bangladesh and Pakistan. Seeing the personalities and faiths of religious leaders like Sai Baba, it reinforces my faith in humanity as a whole, where people come close to each other irrespective of their religious, social and cultural differences. Daily activities that are carried out in the temples consist of religious rites like aratis, religious songs (known as bhajans), Recital like naam jaap, annadan, and more. As I have learned, these are the basic pillars of religious way of life that was taught by Sai Baba. Foods (Bhogs) are offered to the visiting devotees, so that they can spend the entire day in the temple and dedicate their time completely to their religious activities. On the Morning of the 3rd November, I went to another big temple in the city, Shri Radha Krishna Mandir located on the 96, Avenue B. I came to know that the Shri Radha Krishna Mandir was the first Hindu Temple built in the city of New York. The temple compound is characterized by a huge spacious central sanctum, with other smaller temples and chamber for other Hindu deities surrounding the central structure. The central hall which contains temples for  Lord Siva, Lord Ganesha (the elephant God), Lord Hanuman (the monkey God), Durga Ma (the Universal Mother), Kali Ma, Lakshmi Ma (represents wealth) and Saraswati Ma (represents art and education). An additional temple was also dedicated to another Hindu God, Lord Krishna (represents love). I came to know about most of them by asking the priest at the temple. This temple itself is considered to be a part of all cultural center of the Indian Community in New York. All the religious and cultural festival are celebrated here with full devotion and all the rituals are said to be followed in the strictest order. The Deities are worshipped strictly as per the religious practices laid down in the ancient Hindu books of faith, the Veda. Various kinds of offering like incense, flowers, and water are offered to the God. These offerings are performed by one devotee-Pujari (priest) while the other participants keep on chanting mantras and spiritual songs. Japa or recital practice and meditation are the pillars of this temple. It is believed by the devotees of this temple that these practices can bring solace to a human soul. Additionally, other religious activities like yoga, meditation, kirtan (spiritual songs), and puja (worshipping) are also believed to be other paths that can be practiced to find peace in mundane life. I was surprised at the way people gathered and sang devotional songs to the deity with complete focus and involvement. The most astonishing fact about both these temples is that on one hand I found a cultural mix was there where devotees of all religions were welcomed. Food and water were offered whereas on the other hand strict religious faces were found in the other temple. The later temple was filled with more numbers of rigid, firm Hindu faces who were very much strict about their beliefs. But in the Sai temple was a softly sheeted place where I saw more of smoothness resting in every dimension. This was one of the most astonishing facts that I found comparing both the temples together. Thus understanding Hinduism I discovered few many new human trait inventing the new psychologies. This field trip have given me new sphere of my thinking process towards my subject and made me an expert knowing so much about human behavior. So I was on the verge of understanding more about Hinduism, I discovered a new insight about myself, my abilities about understanding the human psychology and their beliefs. Hence I was elated to discover so much about myself with the blessing of my subject. 1. List unifying (uniting) and separating factors that characterized East/West relations in the empire during the late 4th and early 5th centuries. Unifying factors: (i) Basil’s lectures on poverty and monasticism were being received appreciatively by Ambrose (ii) Ambrose’s initiation of allegorical analysis of Scripture also contained indications of his implicit admiration of Eastern theology. (iii) Origen’s works were becoming increasingly well – known and were being translated by Rufinus Separating factors – (i) Antiochene schism (ii) Differences of language (iii) Conflicting views of authority (Frend, 742) 2. Describe the reasons for the survival of East Roman provinces and give evidence why east never accepted “TWO CITIES” theory of human society The reasons for the survival of the East Roman empire include – 1. The Long Wall across the isthmus on which Constantinople stood, which safeguarded the capital from foreign invasion. 2. It was the populace who clamored for arms to defend their city against the enemies and produce valiant and spontaneous resistance to the barbarians and Gothic invaders. 3. An important reason for normalcy and stability was the prevalence and practice of orthodox Christianity – the church was by then, a well – established profession The East never accepted the “TWO CITIES” theory of human society because they believed in the “One God …. One Empire ….. One Faith” principle, as they believed that the emperor had been entrusted by God with sovereignty over the world, and like stars filled the world with the light of peace of piety. (Frend, 743-744) 3. Give a character sketch of John Chrysostom, his background, education, preaching skill and significance as patriarch of Constantinople. What was his view of the Church and how did he implemented social reform? John Chrysostom, one of the leaders at Antioch, was born in 347. He was the son of a military commander and Christian mother. He always carried the status of self assurance, due to which, he remained a loner. He was further undiplomatic in dealing with his colleagues. He detested the Goths and his denunciation of the Jews as “deicides” portrays in him traits of early Christian anti-Semitism. John did not entertain visiting Bishops with much reverence and worship – as they generally are, by common folk. But quite the diametrically opposite side of John is reflected in John’s reaction to charges of allegation against Antonius, the Bishop of Ephesus. He was determined to inspect and explore the matter on the spot (Frend, 749-751). 4. What were the Christological positions of Nestrorius and Cyril and in what ways did they clash? Nestrorius was appointed in order to ensure that disputes do not raise its ugly head in Constantinople. According to him Christ was the greatest pioneer, and over thrower of death. Cyril has been archbishop of Alexandria for sixteen years since 412. According to him Christ was one and unique. He believed that Jesus voluntarily came under the law and submitted himself to the suffering and death. The Greatest conflicts between Cyril and Nestorius pertain to profound doctrinal differences as pointed here below: - Cyril asked to acknowledge the word ‘Theotokos’ but Nestorius recoiled Cyril denied that the one son approach preached by Nestorius. (Frend,752-758) 5. In what ways were the sides weighted in the events that led to the first council of Ephesus. Describe the result of this council. Cyril, leading proponent of the Alexandrian Christology, put forward the Twelve Propositions or Anathemas to Nestorius of the Antioschene School, and demanded him to agree to them. In response twelve Counter Anathemas were thrown back where mutual basic ideas remained poles apart. At this juncture, a general council was held at Ephesus in 431 to resolve the differences. At the end of the council, the emperor replaced Nestorius with Maximian, to whom Cyril was far more favorably disposed. The two were instructed to bridge the differences. From then onwards, archbishops of the four sees came to be known as the patriarchs (Frend, 758-761) 6. What was the Formula of reunion and how did Proclus’s rule maintain harmony? Despite great bitterness, the courts maneuvered steadily toward a position whereby Antioch would accept Nestorius’s deposition and the orthodoxy of the term Theotokos, while Alexandria would drop the twelve Anathemas and agree to a common formula of faith. The basic nature of the union was that there was One Christ, one Son of God, and one Lord. This Formula of Reunion was to form the basis of Chalcedonian Definition eighteen years later. When Armenian Church approached Constantinople, Proclus acted as an arbitrator between the Armenian and the Antiochene subsequently ensuring long-term state of harmony as regards to future relations between Constantinople and Chalcedon (Frend, 761-762). 7. Describe the positions of Dioscorus and Eutyches Dioscorus was a man of violence; a great villain of the patristic age. His aim was ultimately to replace Antioch by Jerusalem as the most important see in the Roman East. In this attempt, he was supported by Eutyches, an achimandrite who was influential in Roman Courts. He preached that Christian Humanity was not humanity from the normal sense of the term, and that the flesh of Christ cannot be derived from Mary, but from some other heavenly source. (Frend, 764-766) 8. What were the consequences of the Second Council of Ephesus? The second Council of Ephesus ended in forbidding teaching of any other belief than what is in the Creed of Nicaea, and that the twelve Anathemas canonized. It ended the challenge of Flavian to Dioscorus whereby Anatolius, the delegate of Dioscorus was consecrated as patriarch at Constantinople. It also resulted in deposing of Domnus of Antioch as a protector of heretics Theodoret and Ibas, and Juvenal received endowment for his see at the expense of Antioch. (Frend, 766-770) 9. In what ways did Chalcedon mark the end of an era? The Chalcedon marked the end of an era when the church had become the most powerful factor in the people’s lives. It marks the end of continuous feuds among the Christian theorists. For the Roman Emperor it meant the unalterable Definition of faith. However, this also marked the ushering of an age wherein Christendom was divided into five patriarchates, and the respective bishop had supreme authorities within their boundaries (Frend, 770-773) 10. Describe Pope Leo’s position in the rift between Rome and the majority of the Eastern bishops. Pope Leo’s position was enshrined in his reply to invitation of Flavian to the Second Council of Ephesus, referred to as the Tome of Leo. Here Leo contradicted to the position of Dioscorus and Eutyches, and tried to answer the paradoxes of the then existing Christology based on scriptures. In the tome, there was explicit recognition of the two natures of Christ, both human and divine; those are interchangeable in keeping with the Western concept of atonement. (Frend, 790-791) 11. Describe the state of the church in Britain during this period and the work and impact of St. Patrick. The churches were organized ‘Episcopally’. For baptismal liturgy the hexagonal fronts are identified in that era. The churches were designed under the influence of figures like St. Patrick. St Patrick’s idealism was aimed at bringing civilization to the barbarians. His method of ‘evangelization’ was build up in the local churches. He played a significant role in encouraging virginity, the order of widows and building of convents and monasteries. (Frend, 792-795) 12. What was the significance of Gaiseric and his son Hueric and his successors, Gunthamund and Thrasamund? Gaiseric accepted a treaty which entitled him authority over Carthage, proconsular Africa and Numidia east of Cirta. He took revenge of Valentinium’s murder by sacking Rome. Huneric, the successor of Gaiseric inherited his father’s trait. Hunaric ordered and threatened the Catholics bishops to convert to Arianism. Gunthamund and Thrasamund quit violence but maintained the pressure. Thrasamund attracted more religious debates and acknowledged writing on Arains (Frend, 795-798). 13. Describe the life and contributions of Fulgentius of Ruspe Fulgentius of Ruspe was brought up amidst secure and affluent environment by her staunch Catholic mother. His education however, encompassed studying the classics as well the Scripture. His novitiate spanned over a prolonged period from 483 to 490. Fulgentius sought shelter in comparatively safer proconsular Africa. In 1502, he was surreptitiously consecrated bishop of Ruspe. He was then exiled to Caliagri. There, he became an influential controversialist being an anti-Arian, anti-Palagian, and an anti-Donatist, which profoundly impressed Thrasamund, who recalled him, only to send him back to Sardiniain in 517, following arguments with him (Frend, 798-799) 14. How do Sidonium Apollinaris, Faustus bishop of Riez and Gennadium represent the “middle way” in theology and culture? Sidonius Apollinaris, his friend Faustus, bishop of Riez and Gennadius, another contemporary of Sidonius sought to find a “via media” between predestination, as affirmed by Augustine and Pelagianism or Pelagius’ views. Faustus, embraced Augustine’s preaching, as well as, laid emphasis on the necessity of human effort in response to divine grace. He felt that Augustine’s views were remnants of Manicheism (Frend, 800-802). 15. Trace the significance of Clovis. Clovis united various Frankish tribes and defeated Roman rule in the valley of Loire. He was a pagan himself in the beginning, however in his life there was strongly influence of Bishop Remigius of Rheims. Clovis later embraced Catholicism along with some three thousand of his Frankish warriors, which marks the first mass baptism of Germanic people to Catholic Christianity (Frend, 803-805). 16. Describe the importance of Theodoric Ostrogoth Theodoric’s mother being catholic taught him tolerance and he aimed at ensuring harmony leading to union of Goths and Romans. Ex- officials of Roman Empire accepted his rules. Theodoric never attempted anything against the Catholics. He admired Roman statecraft and made every effort to instill it amongst Goths. But the foundation of this harmony resulted being brittle (Frend, 806 -807). 17. What was the Acacian schism, the Henotikon and the reasons for the conflict between emperor Anastasius and Pope Gelasius? Disagreements between the church and the imperial authority were both doctrinal and disciplinary, and the latter sparked the objective force of the mutual exacerbation, which lead to Acacian Schism. Emperor Zeno wrote a letter, known as the Henotikon, or the instrument of unity, to the bishops and monks of Egypt, Alexandria and Cyrenaica. It aimed at reconciliation of the division with the Egyptian Church subsequent to the council of Chalcedon. Anastasius was eager to heal the division between the East and the West, the Chalcedonians and the anti-Chalcedonians. However, Pope Gelasius did not offer any compromise, as in his eyes, the emperor could not be given any priestly function (Frend, 808-812). 18. What were the reasons for the decline of the Ostrogothic kingdom? With the end of rule of Theodoric, the arrangement of coexistence between the Romans and the Goths practically ended. He was succeeded by a boy of ten, Athalaric and his mother Amalasuntha. During this time, the absence of a strong leader meant that there were bitter divisions among the Goths themselves. When Athalaric died at 534, her mother ruled for a brief while with Theodoric’s nephew for a short while. A revolution in 535 was the last nail when Amalasuntha was deposed and died, and Roman Emperor Justinian absorbed the Ostrogothic kingdom under the direct rules of Rome (Frend, 813-815). Read More