Yoga and Meditation

Hinduism is a complex blend of polytheistic religion, a (belief in many gods, rather like the Greek and the Roman deities) and philosophy. It stemmed from Vedism, which dates back to the second millennium before Christ. It is not surprising therefore that numerous sects have developed or broken away from a faith of this age.

However, most of these sects rely on the one book, the Vedic texts known collectively as the ‘Upanishads’, and their differences are a result of their individual interpretations of it. These texts describe the activities of Shiva, the creator, preserver and destroyer of the universe and they are based on even more ancient writings such as the Mahabharata, the Ramayana and, less well-known in the West, the Puaranas.

The Bhagavad Gita, the Lord’s Song, a part of the Mahabharata, retells a dialogue between Krishna (another incarnation of the god Vishnu) and the acolyte Prince Arjuna. This dialogue sheds light on the three paths to enlightenment or union with God.

This might sound dreary, but I can promise you that reading the Bhagavad Gita could easily transform the way that you look upon life no matter which religion you believe in, if you have one.

The fundamentals of Hinduism are that individuals ought to try to connect their selves (Atman) with the Godhead (Brahman) and reincarnation (samsara). Just what people come back as is determined by how people have led their lives, that is, one’s actions (karma) and one’s duty (dharma).

This continuous reincarnation into a life of suffering can only be broken when one reaches the Godhead in a state of Atman-Brahman. Their are four paths to achieve this divine condition in Hinduism. These are: jnana yoga, which is based on knowledge; bhakti yoga, which is based on service to God; karma yoga, which is based on work for God (rather than oneself) and raja yoga, which is based on psychophysical exercise.

Raja yoga, or the ‘Royal Path’, is the kind of yoga that most Westerners will have heard of and seen. Raja yoga is more common in these West nowadays than at any other time in history.

Hinduism has three primary theistic traditions founded on anthropomorphic gods. Vishnu is a loving god incarnated as Krishna; Shiva is both protective and destructive and Brahma is the creator. Saktism is a form of worship dedicated to the female partners of Vishnu and Shiva. Hindu’s venerate all forms of life, but the most sacred animal to Hindus is the cow.

Hindu worship revolves around a person’s and a family’s dedication to a particular ‘favourite’ god or group of gods. The act of worship is carried out at a shrine, which can be at home or communally in public. There are several places of pilgrimage including the Ganges in northern India.

The three primary festivals are Dipavali - the ‘festival of lights’ - which sacred to Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity; Holi, a spring festival and Dashara, a harvest festival.

Hinduism is the oldest of the world’s great religions. It is most widespread in India, which has outlawed the ancient caste system of Hinduism. This caste system used to divide society into five main groups: brahmins were leaders, philosophers and artists; kshatriyas were princes, soldiers and administrators; vaishyas were merchants and landowners; shudras were labourers and the rest were outcasts or untouchables.

Owen Jones, the writer of this piece writes on many subjects but is currently concerned with Easter.If you would like to read more, please go over to our website entitled Celebrating Easter

Incense burning is considered a religious and a purification rite in many places. Incense, the practice of burning aromatic materials to release fragrance has been done for hundreds of years and in recent years, the practice is quite popular. Burning of incense is done either for aesthetic purpose or due to some medicinal benefits that go along with it.

The influence of underlying cultures and cultural diversities has however changed the reasons for burning incense in recent years. Whatever the reason for incense burning, the practice has become popular in recent years.

There are many aromatic materials that are burnt today as incense. Extractions of solid materials as well as oils have been burnt and considered authentic aromatic substances. With the many materials has come the many incense burners used while undertaking the ritual.

When it comes to liquid aromatics, these substances must have special incense burners to hold the essential oils. In most cases, a base that is extracted from charcoal powder is added to the liquid fragrances and is used as a base. Cheaper fragrances have been used as incense and they are derived from chemical synthesis. These fragrances require special incense burners to hold them during the burning process.

There are varying types of incense classified by the mode and degree of burning. The common groups are direct and indirect burning. One of the best known examples of materials that use indirect burning is myrrh and frankincense. Frankincense in the European context alludes to virtually any form or forms of incense. When placed on an appropriate incense burner, the frankincense material in its raw unprocessed form is burnt directly by having it placed on an incense burner that has coal embers.

Direct burning involves lighting the combustible substance and placing it on the incense burner. The substance continues smoldering even after the initial flame or light source is removed. This initial ignition is all that is required. The substance can either be in liquid form or in finely grounded particles so that it can be entirely.

Some common direct burning types of incense are coils that burn for extended periods by placing them on a suspended incense burner, cones, cored sticks that have a supporting bamboo core as the incense burner, solid sticks, incense blanks and loose powder. Loose powder is usually placed on wood ash and special censers are used as the incense burners. In direct burning, the above incense forms usually have to be pressed or coated under a supporting material.

Incense burners are sold in different sizes and of different shapes. Burners can be classified in different ways. There are burners that take shapes of mythical creatures like gargoyles, goddesses, while others are celestial in nature. Others include pentagrams and animal incense burners. There are even some that take shapes of dragons and mermaids in varying shapes and sizes. Search online for incense burners and holders will show up pictures as well as their use.