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RITUALS
D03 - Going to the Temple (Shvetämbar & Digambar Tradition)
To be around you always,
I ask that Samyaktva be imprinted upon me. By offering fragrant and unbroken flowers to Arihanta we reflect upon to live our life like flower. Pushpa symbolizes conduct. Our conduct should be like a flower, which provides fragrance and beauty to all living beings without discrimination. 4. Dhoop (Incense) Pujä:
Meditation illuminates the dense darkness, Just as I offer the incense before the beautiful eyes of the Jin;
Driving away the bad smell of wrong faith,
The innate nature of the soul emerges By placing incense (Dhoop) on the left side of the idol, we initiate the upward meditation to destroy the bad odor of Mithyätva (false faith) and manifest our pure soul. Just as the fragrant smoke of the incense goes upwards, we should begin our ever progressive spiritual journey leading to the top of the universe, the Siddha-shilä. Just as the incense removes the bad odor, we should remove false faith (Mithyätva). Dhoop also symbolizes an ascetic life. While burning itself, Dhoop provides fragrance to others. Similarly, true monks and nuns spend their entire life selflessly for the benefit of all living beings. This Pujä reminds us to thrive for an ascetic life, which ultimately leads to liberation. 5. Deepak (Lamp) Pujä:
Like a lamp, help us distinguish between good and bad
To avoid sorrow in this world and One day, my internal lamp of knowledge will
Illuminate the entire universe The flame of a lamp (Deepak) represents a Pure Consciousness, or a Soul without any bondage, a Liberated Soul. When we light the lamp in the right manner, our miseries get destroyed. As a result, we get the knowledge in the form of Keval-jnän, which illuminates the whole universe. Deepak symbolizes the light of knowledge. Deepak pujä is offered on the right side of the idol to destroy the darkness of ignorance and false beliefs. The ultimate goal of every living being is to be liberated from karma. To be liberated from Karma, one needs to be free from all vices such as anger, greed, ego, deceit, attachment, hatred and lust. By doing this Pujä one should strive to follow the five great vows: Non-violence, Truthfulness, Non-stealing, Chastity and Nonpossession. Ultimately proper conduct coupled with right faith and knowledge will lead to liberation. 6. Akshat (Rice) Puja:
Pure unbroken Akshat I hold And draw this large Nandävarta In the presence of my lord, I wish all my worldliness
Will destroy indefinitely By offering pure and unbroken rice grains in the form of Nandävarta, we meditate in front of Arihanta, keeping all our worldly attachments away. The rice grain without the husk, called Akshat, is a kind of grain that does not germinate. One cannot grow rice plants by seeding this type of rice. It symbolizes the last birth. By doing this
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Compendium of Jainism - 2015
