A Field Trip Report to a Hindu Temple
The field trip was to a Hindu temple located in Toronto where I attended a worship service therein. Before the trip, I thought that there would be few members in the temple since Hinduism is concentrated in India than in other countries. I also thought that everyone sat on the floor as seats are not allowed and only one person was in charge of conducting the entire worship ceremony. I feared that there could be rituals in the process of worship whereby they would speak in strange languages that I could not comprehend. I also feared that I would find many idols that would confuse me and find it difficult to follow the service proceedings. I assumed that Hindu services have an ordered program of events and that there are definite rules regarding the worship such as the dos and don’ts. Possible biases I had before the trip were that Hinduism is polytheistic hence they do not have one Supreme Being like in my religion. I also had bias regarding any scriptures that they could be having as not being holy like in my religion.
On the set date, I went to a Hindu temple located in Toronto fully enthusiastic on learning more about a different religion. The temple was beautifully decorated and before entering, I had to remove my shoes. From this point, I noted that men and women sat separately. I was given a book with verses where some were indicated as shlokas and others a stutis and I joined everyone else in chanting the verses that were conducted by the priest. This was followed by a session called bhajans where some would call and others would respond in a certain sequence. When the session came to an end the priest performed a ritual to the supreme deity. This ritual was referred to as puja and involved the priest burning incense while chanting praise names to Brahman. He did this while holding a huge lamp. At some point, the lamp was waved before the image of Brahman and bells were rung loudly. Once the lamp was lowered, everyone would lie on the floor prostate in reverence to the divine being. This was followed by a session of singing which I later came to know that it was a food offering song. Everyone went forward where there were five trays where people were leaving their various offerings to the deity of their choice. From this point, we went to a different hall where the food offerings made were shared among the members and the worship service was adjourned.
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As the worship service began, I thought the songs being chanted were directed at one deity only to realize that everyone had a deity of their choice. I felt confused since I was told that there is a supreme deity called Brahman who was given priority before making any recognition to the other lesser deities. Nonetheless, I enjoyed a completely new experience of being in a Hindu temple especially the singing that was so harmonious despite lacking any instruments. The various Hindu terminologies were quite puzzling but I managed to move with the flow and understand each session. Generally, the worship service was quite beyond my expectations as every session brought something different thus avoiding the monotony seen in my religion. Although it was challenging in trying to understand each session, I finally managed to have a first-hand experience of what it is like to be in a Hindu temple.
From my observation, there were significant distinctive features of the Hindu religion. One of these features is the worship of many deities. Among all the deities, Brahman is considered the supreme deity, encompassing all that is in the universe. The worshipers greatly revere Brahman but also make reverence to other deities. They even make offerings to their chosen deities whom they believe to hold their blessings. By removing shoes before entering the temple, it implies that the place is sacred since the presence of the deities is there. They chant songs to worship the deities and to call upon them to fellowship with their hearts. They also have scriptures called the Vedas that contain revelations that the ancient saints received. These are believed to have no beginning and no end implying that they are everlasting and divine.
What did you learn about this particular religion by observing the service? Reflect on your learning experience.
By observing the service, I learned that Hinduism involves high levels of devotion to the deities of one’s choice and giving total worship to them. The devotion is both physical and spiritual. The physical aspects are such as removal of shoes before entering, sitting positions and avoiding hugging and other ways of showing affection in ensuring full dedication to the divine. The spiritual aspects include chanting and intense singing with rituals that ensure that the devotees are fully dedicated to the worship of the divine. The other thing I learned was on the importance of offerings. It is required of everyone to prostate themselves as they bring offerings to their deities in their shrines. This has the significance of encountering an inward uplifting from being in the presence of the divine.
One thing I learned about Hinduism that could not be found on the textbook is that the after the worship service, individuals do not hurry away but stay for a while longer meditating. It is interesting how deeply involved they are in this activity that renders the entire temple to be in pin-drop silence. This experience was very relevant to me as it challenged me to show more dedication to worship in my religion and reach a higher level of experiencing divinity.
In my reflection on theological and cultural features of the Hindu faith, there are actually significant differences in the worship ceremony in contrast with other faiths that I have attended in the past. The religious traditions seem totally different where in previous faiths; there were no idols involved and certainly, no meditations. There is a deep cultural attachment to the religious rituals carried out in the Hindu temple unlike in other places which gives it a theological uniqueness.
On encountering a person who professes Hinduism as their faith, system the first question I would ask them is, “what is the significance of having so many deities yet there is one supreme deity?” when I was there, I spoke with one person outside the temple after the worship service was over. The following is the conversation we had:
Me: “What is the significance of having so many deities yet there is one supreme deity?”
Person: “These gods are the helpers of Braham in creating, preserving and protecting mankind. They provide the door way to immersing oneself in the knowledge of Braham thus placing him or her under divine authority that looks after their affairs.
Me: “Why does the Hindu religion insist on placing idols in the temple yet they believe in a supreme being who is not limited to space?”
Person: “Since the gods are formless and infinite, it would be extremely difficult to comprehend them. The idols therefore serve as symbols that enable us to see the divine in an image that enables us to expand our vision and ability to see the divine in everything that surrounds us.
Based on what I already know about the Hindu faith, this belief system greatly contrasts compare with my own worldview. To being with, my worldview disagrees on worshipping an idol since it is man-made and hence powerless. The maker has the power over the made hence disagreeing greatly on the Hindu belief system. I would admit that I had personal biases or assumptions about the faith before coming to the service as outlined earlier. However, the learning experience has enabled me to appreciate the faith in its uniqueness and belief system.
