Guest guest Posted July 17, 2006 Report Share Posted July 17, 2006 Om Namah Sivaya Idol is a support for the neophyte. It is a prop of his spiritual childhood. A form or image is necessary for worship in the beginning. It is an external symbol of God for worship. It is a reminder of God. The material image calls up the mental idea. Steadiness of mind is obtained by image-worship. The worshipper will have to associate the ideas of infinity, omnipotence, omniscience, purity, perfection, freedom, holiness, truth and omnipresence. It is not possible for all to fix the mind on the Absolute or the Infinite. A concrete form is necessary for the vast majority for practising concentration. To behold God everywhere and to practise the presence of God is not possible for the ordinary man. Idol-worship is the easiest form of worship for the modern man. A symbol is absolutely indispensable for fixing the mind. The mind wants a prop to lean upon. It cannot have a conception of the Absolute in the initial stages. Without the help of some external aid, in the initial stages, the mind cannot be centralised. In the beginning, concentration or meditation is not possible without a symbol. ----By Sri Swami Sivananda Sivaya Namah Try the all-new Mail . "The New Version is radically easier to use" – The Wall Street Journal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 17, 2006 Report Share Posted July 17, 2006 Every religion adopts some or other form of idol worship. Idol does not necessarily mean a figure of god or form in image or solid form it also includes any image or edifice considered sacred. Going around at Kaba , Masjids , Cross , Church , objects like hair preserved from body of holy person are all forms of idol worship. So the religions that denounce idol worship are directly or indirectly following the same path. Selvaratnam Selvakumar <selvauk (AT) (DOT) co.uk> wrote: Om Namah Sivaya Idol is a support for the neophyte. It is a prop of his spiritual childhood. A form or image is necessary for worship in the beginning. It is an external symbol of God for worship. It is a reminder of God. The material image calls up the mental idea. Steadiness of mind is obtained by image-worship. The worshipper will have to associate the ideas of infinity, omnipotence, omniscience, purity, perfection, freedom, holiness, truth and omnipresence. It is not possible for all to fix the mind on the Absolute or the Infinite. A concrete form is necessary for the vast majority for practising concentration. To behold God everywhere and to practise the presence of God is not possible for the ordinary man. Idol-worship is the easiest form of worship for the modern man. A symbol is absolutely indispensable for fixing the mind. The mind wants a prop to lean upon. It cannot have a conception of the Absolute in the initial stages. Without the help of some external aid, in the initial stages, the mind cannot be centralised. In the beginning, concentration or meditation is not possible without a symbol. ----By Sri Swami Sivananda Sivaya Namah Try the all-new Mail . "The New Version is radically easier to use" – The Wall Street Journal Find out what India is talking about on Answers India. So, what’s NEW about the NEW Messenger? Find out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 17, 2006 Report Share Posted July 17, 2006 During his stay in Chicago, Swami Vivekanad was invited by a citizen to his home. While they were siting in the liabray the citizen criticised that HINDUS DO Idol worship and expected a comment from Swami Vivekanad. Swami was then looking the arrangement or presentation of things around and enjoying. He noticed a photograph mounted on a Sofa, which was garlanded with a lit candle before it. Swami Vivekanad, inquired casually, whose photo graph was that and why it was garlanded. The citizen replied that it is his father's photograph and was no more. Out of respect he garlanded it. Suddenly Swami asked the citizen to spit on it. Citizen was very angry and shouted at Swami not to talk in ill mannered way.. Swami Cooley said, the photograph is not your father and is no more. It is only an image. Swami continued with the same coolness, the faith you have made you to believe that the photograph is your father. AUM Namah Shivaya On 7/17/06, Selvaratnam Selvakumar <selvauk (AT) (DOT) co.uk> wrote: > > Om Namah Sivaya > > Idol is a support for the neophyte. It is a prop of his spiritual > childhood. A form or image is necessary for worship in the beginning. It is > an external symbol of God for worship. It is a reminder of God. The material > image calls up the mental idea. Steadiness of mind is obtained by > image-worship. The worshipper will have to associate the ideas of infinity, > omnipotence, omniscience, purity, perfection, freedom, holiness, truth and > omnipresence. It is not possible for all to fix the mind on the Absolute or > the Infinite. A concrete form is necessary for the vast majority for > practising concentration. To behold God everywhere and to practise the > presence of God is not possible for the ordinary man. Idol-worship is the > easiest form of worship for the modern man. > > A symbol is absolutely indispensable for fixing the mind. The mind wants a > prop to lean upon. It cannot have a conception of the Absolute in the > initial stages. Without the help of some external aid, in the initial > stages, the mind cannot be centralised. In the beginning, concentration or > meditation is not possible without a symbol. > > ----By Sri Swami Sivananda > > Sivaya Namah > > ------------------------------ > Try the all-new Mail<http://us.rd./mail/uk/taglines/default/nowyoucan/wall_st_2/*http://us.rd./evt=40565/*http://uk.docs./nowyoucan.html>. "The New Version is radically easier to use" – The Wall Street Journal > > > -- KS Rao, Navi Mumbai Cell: 93242 94531 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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