4 Dec. 2008. Varanasi.
And then for the next hour or more, the priests work through a series of rituals -- with smoke, fire, water, incense, flowers, and saffron spices. Circling their arms in the air, while slowly moving clockwise in place, the ceremony takes on the form of religious dance. Appropriate chants and music match each series, and both priest and the crowd ring bells and beat drums. Then prayers are offered, to the Mother Ganga and Lord Shiva, and some of the people take their turns lighting their candles and sending them off into the river, with prayers and reflection. The priests slow down, and quiet returns. The people go home, until the next day.
I have never seen anything like this, though the size, music, “stage,” and lights remind me a bit of some very large megachurch praise services in America. To the Western eye, it all seems a little Las Vegas and a lot of strange, but to the people here -- watching intently, clapping in rhythm, folding hands in prayer -- this is anything but strange or entertaining. It is, yet again, a way to worship, to honor that which is God, to see life and god and salvation in this holy water, to mark the end of the day as a day for the divine.
Siddhartha developed the principles of Buddhism in the context of early Hindu life, about 500 B.C. He objected to the then Hindu emphasis on sacrificial rituals, dependency on priests, and the highest spiritual goal of extreme ascetic living. He taught a “middle way” to salvation, or rather enlightenment, which focuses on awareness, simplicity, modesty, and something like contentment. Buddhists do not focus on a goal of salvation, or, being with God in heaven, generally; instead, they try to realize the “god within,” their own buddha nature, and they emphasize prayerful meditation. Thus, technically, they do not worship Siddhartha, nor any gods, but there are nonetheless a pantheon of divine figures, as well as the model of the Buddha, who provide religious focus.
Every morning at dawn, and every evening after the sun sets, Hindus gather on several central ghats (steps) of the Ganges River to pray. They come individually and in small groups, but especially in the evening, they come as families, walking determinately toward these large gathering areas, bordered on three sides by small shops and temples which all open up to the great river. By 4:30 p.m., the crowds start marching through side streets and then through a final 500 or so yards, negotiating a dizzying maze of rickshaws, motorcycles, and food carts. At the ghats, people start settling in front of small platforms that hug the water's edge. Hindu devotional music blares over loud speakers, and women and children offer everyone small paper bowls filled with flowers and a candle, provided a small donation is given. On the platforms, Hindu priests begin preparations, and the anticipation rises.
And then for the next hour or more, the priests work through a series of rituals -- with smoke, fire, water, incense, flowers, and saffron spices. Circling their arms in the air, while slowly moving clockwise in place, the ceremony takes on the form of religious dance. Appropriate chants and music match each series, and both priest and the crowd ring bells and beat drums. Then prayers are offered, to the Mother Ganga and Lord Shiva, and some of the people take their turns lighting their candles and sending them off into the river, with prayers and reflection. The priests slow down, and quiet returns. The people go home, until the next day. I have never seen anything like this, though the size, music, “stage,” and lights remind me a bit of some very large megachurch praise services in America. To the Western eye, it all seems a little Las Vegas and a lot of strange, but to the people here -- watching intently, clapping in rhythm, folding hands in prayer -- this is anything but strange or entertaining. It is, yet again, a way to worship, to honor that which is God, to see life and god and salvation in this holy water, to mark the end of the day as a day for the divine.
Hindus are very religious people, and there seems to be no end to ways that they worship and ways that they symbolize and understand God. Historically, this flexibility and endless imaginative theology has been Hinduism's great strength. But some other Indian religions have chosen different paths of spirituality. Near this town, at Sarnath, Buddhists gather to remember and pray, for Sarnath is the place that Siddhartha, the Buddha, came to gather his first disciples and preach his first sermon. After a very fast and bumpy auto-rickshaw ride for the 10 kilometers (a whopping $4, round trip), I arrived in Sarnath earlier today, for what proved to be a peaceful 4 hours.
The central site here is the Dhhamekh Stupa, a huge towering mound that marks the place 
where the Buddha preached this first sermon. Stupas in Buddhism traditionally house holy relics, perhaps pieces of Siddhartha’s clothing or writings, but this one is revered for the sermon. The stupa sits on the edge of well-maintained monastery ruins, and the entire park – with its quiet, cool atmosphere – provides a welcome reprise from the noise and crowds of nearby Varanasi. An impressive state-run museum is adjacent, including statues of both Buddhist and Hindu gods, as well as Siddhartha.
where the Buddha preached this first sermon. Stupas in Buddhism traditionally house holy relics, perhaps pieces of Siddhartha’s clothing or writings, but this one is revered for the sermon. The stupa sits on the edge of well-maintained monastery ruins, and the entire park – with its quiet, cool atmosphere – provides a welcome reprise from the noise and crowds of nearby Varanasi. An impressive state-run museum is adjacent, including statues of both Buddhist and Hindu gods, as well as Siddhartha. Siddhartha developed the principles of Buddhism in the context of early Hindu life, about 500 B.C. He objected to the then Hindu emphasis on sacrificial rituals, dependency on priests, and the highest spiritual goal of extreme ascetic living. He taught a “middle way” to salvation, or rather enlightenment, which focuses on awareness, simplicity, modesty, and something like contentment. Buddhists do not focus on a goal of salvation, or, being with God in heaven, generally; instead, they try to realize the “god within,” their own buddha nature, and they emphasize prayerful meditation. Thus, technically, they do not worship Siddhartha, nor any gods, but there are nonetheless a pantheon of divine figures, as well as the model of the Buddha, who provide religious focus.
And then there are Jains. We’ve discussed Jainism a bit in an earlier post. Their founder, Mahavira, is said to have lived and taught in this area, as did some of the earlier “crossing leaders, their tirthankaras, who mark the way to live – simply, non-violently, and modestly. A pleasant Jain temple sits near the Buddhist monastery, and I enjoyed good conversation
with one of the priests there. Jains, he said, do not say “Namaste,” the Hindu greeting, but instead “Jai Jenadara,” which means “I see the you/good/god inside your heart.”
with one of the priests there. Jains, he said, do not say “Namaste,” the Hindu greeting, but instead “Jai Jenadara,” which means “I see the you/good/god inside your heart.” So there is here in Varanasi a large variety of religious life – worship to a multitude of forms of god, in colorful and extravagant ways for the Hindus, to self-reflection meditation on one’s inner whole, to committed nonviolent actions and spiritual reflection. And it is here, in north central India, that two grand world religions formed and continue to thrive, along the Ganges river delta, some 2500 years ago. It is easy, then, to see why India is so jam-packed with temples, priests, incense, and prayer. And why the people greet the dawn and the dusk with praise, repentance, and invocation.
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