Comments on: Question of the Week: The Dos and Don’ts of the Prayer Space http://www.swadharma.org/2009/03/09/the-dos-and-donts-of-the-prayer-space/ The voice of Dharma Thu, 16 Dec 2010 23:48:01 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9 hourly 1 By: Priya http://www.swadharma.org/2009/03/09/the-dos-and-donts-of-the-prayer-space/comment-page-1/#comment-173 Priya Mon, 13 Apr 2009 05:16:08 +0000 http://www.swadharma.org/?p=1173#comment-173 I think that the intention of your actions of the prayer space is what matters. If you go to sleep or study in the prayers space with the idea that you find that the prayer space will make you feel at peace or make you focus, then I think it is wise to go to sleep or study there. While I agree that we shouldn't be hypocritical, striving for purity has to begin somewhere, and I think that the prayer space serves that purpose.  I think that the intention of your actions of the prayer space is what matters. If you go to sleep or study in the prayers space with the idea that you find that the prayer space will make you feel at peace or make you focus, then I think it is wise to go to sleep or study there. While I agree that we shouldn’t be hypocritical, striving for purity has to begin somewhere, and I think that the prayer space serves that purpose. 

]]> By: madhura http://www.swadharma.org/2009/03/09/the-dos-and-donts-of-the-prayer-space/comment-page-1/#comment-132 madhura Tue, 17 Mar 2009 03:52:03 +0000 http://www.swadharma.org/?p=1173#comment-132 Hinduism says that God is everywhere-- yet we have a prayer space. The prayer space exists for the same reason as our study table or common room. Just because we have a study table doesn't mean we can't study sitting on the floor of the common room, but the study table is more conducive to studying given that we have a chair, a desk and a well-positioned lamp. Similarly, there's no rule that says that praying is the only thing that we can do in the prayer space. However, it is a shared space, and while you might think it's okay to eat/gossip there, another person may not. Using to the prayer space only to pray has more to do with respecting the other people who use the prayer space than anything else. I think it's also about acknowledging that when we are in the prayer space, we are sitting in front of our Gods. In the prayer space, the gods deserve our complete attention. It's called "devghar" for a reason. Translated, it means "House of the Gods". For me, gossiping, making jokes or eating junk food in the prayer space is offensive because it's like we are disrespecting our Gods, forgetting that they're sitting right there. So yes, you're right, holding board meetings in the prayer space is a mistake. However, somehow the idea of sleeping or studying in the prayer space doesn't bother me half as much, and I'm not sure why. When I was younger, my mother encouraged me to sit in front of the prayer area at home to study. That may explain the way I feel. Hinduism says that God is everywhere– yet we have a prayer space. The prayer space exists for the same reason as our study table or common room. Just because we have a study table doesn’t mean we can’t study sitting on the floor of the common room, but the study table is more conducive to studying given that we have a chair, a desk and a well-positioned lamp. Similarly, there’s no rule that says that praying is the only thing that we can do in the prayer space. However, it is a shared space, and while you might think it’s okay to eat/gossip there, another person may not. Using to the prayer space only to pray has more to do with respecting the other people who use the prayer space than anything else.
I think it’s also about acknowledging that when we are in the prayer space, we are sitting in front of our Gods. In the prayer space, the gods deserve our complete attention. It’s called “devghar” for a reason. Translated, it means “House of the Gods”. For me, gossiping, making jokes or eating junk food in the prayer space is offensive because it’s like we are disrespecting our Gods, forgetting that they’re sitting right there. So yes, you’re right, holding board meetings in the prayer space is a mistake.
However, somehow the idea of sleeping or studying in the prayer space doesn’t bother me half as much, and I’m not sure why. When I was younger, my mother encouraged me to sit in front of the prayer area at home to study. That may explain the way I feel.

]]> By: Ravi M http://www.swadharma.org/2009/03/09/the-dos-and-donts-of-the-prayer-space/comment-page-1/#comment-129 Ravi M Mon, 16 Mar 2009 22:02:54 +0000 http://www.swadharma.org/?p=1173#comment-129 We're only human in the prayer space, and only human outside the prayer space. Yes - it is hypocritical to require one sort of behavior outside the prayer space and another inside the prayer space. We’re only human in the prayer space, and only human outside the prayer space. Yes – it is hypocritical to require one sort of behavior outside the prayer space and another inside the prayer space.

]]> By: aneesh http://www.swadharma.org/2009/03/09/the-dos-and-donts-of-the-prayer-space/comment-page-1/#comment-127 aneesh Sat, 14 Mar 2009 05:53:51 +0000 http://www.swadharma.org/?p=1173#comment-127 Lots of excellent questions raised here.  I don't have many answers, but I do feel much hungrier after reading this. I've used the prayer space as a quiet place to read & study on occasion, precisely because the sanctity I assigned to it would help me focus. You do raise a good question about hypocrisy, and whether it was hypocritical to avoid certain activities a group would otherwise partake in simply because the group was in the prayer space.  We had quite a discussion about this last year.  Ask any former board member about the Taco Bell controversy. Lots of excellent questions raised here.  I don’t have many answers, but I do feel much hungrier after reading this.

I’ve used the prayer space as a quiet place to read & study on occasion, precisely because the sanctity I assigned to it would help me focus.

You do raise a good question about hypocrisy, and whether it was hypocritical to avoid certain activities a group would otherwise partake in simply because the group was in the prayer space.  We had quite a discussion about this last year.  Ask any former board member about the Taco Bell controversy.

]]> By: Anish http://www.swadharma.org/2009/03/09/the-dos-and-donts-of-the-prayer-space/comment-page-1/#comment-126 Anish Tue, 10 Mar 2009 06:01:39 +0000 http://www.swadharma.org/?p=1173#comment-126 Before I share my thoughts, I must say that the metaphors you used were quite humourous, yet they served their purpose in sending a message :) As for the question at the end of your post, it very much depends on the situation in order to determine whether it is hypocritical or not to follow a set of rules in a certain environment and then not follow those rules in a different environment. Since your usage of metaphors was very helpful, I figured I'd use them as well. Be it noted that the following examples have just been made up. Please do not feel that I am sharing stories from my own life or those of anyone else's life. Say that Watermelon attends a cultural school every weekend. And at the school, he is told to not cheat, lie and curse. Now if you think about it, all Watermelon needs to do is to not lie, cheat and/or curse when in the cultural school environment. However, when he is with his friends, Watermelon curses, lies and cheats to his heart's desire. Is that right- living a double life where one life is entirely an act to please the elders at the cultural school and maybe even his parents while the other life is the real true Watermelon that no one but his friends know? Now let's look at another example. Let's say that Squash, Watermelon's classmate at the weekend cultural school, has a crush on Baked Potato, who goes to her high school. Now, the purpose of the cultural school is to enlighten young minds and to teach them how to advance themselves spiritually. The environment in the school is spiritually uplifting. Any thoughts straying from spirituality would ruin the environment for everyone. These straying thoughts include Squash's thoughts about Baked Potato. This doesn't mean that Squash shouldn't have a crush on anyone, but that she should control her thoughts so that thoughts about Baked Potato don't interfere with her learning and spiritual development at the weekend cultural school. As long as Squash bifurcates the jumble of thoughts in her mind into two categories, Spiritual and Non-spiritual and maintains that separation while at the cultural school, she will be able to spiritually uplift herself and not keep others from uplifting themselves. As you can see, it varies from situation to situation. In Watermelon's case, it is imperative that he observes the set of rules inside and outside his cultural school environment. However in Squash's case, the difference in her thoughts when she is in the spiritual environment and outside the environment is justified by her goal to spiritually uplift herself and to not hinder the spiritual growth of others. Before I share my thoughts, I must say that the metaphors you used were quite humourous, yet they served their purpose in sending a message :)

As for the question at the end of your post, it very much depends on the situation in order to determine whether it is hypocritical or not to follow a set of rules in a certain environment and then not follow those rules in a different environment.
Since your usage of metaphors was very helpful, I figured I’d use them as well.
Be it noted that the following examples have just been made up. Please do not feel that I am sharing stories from my own life or those of anyone else’s life.

Say that Watermelon attends a cultural school every weekend. And at the school, he is told to not cheat, lie and curse. Now if you think about it, all Watermelon needs to do is to not lie, cheat and/or curse when in the cultural school environment. However, when he is with his friends, Watermelon curses, lies and cheats to his heart’s desire. Is that right- living a double life where one life is entirely an act to please the elders at the cultural school and maybe even his parents while the other life is the real true Watermelon that no one but his friends know?
Now let’s look at another example. Let’s say that Squash, Watermelon’s classmate at the weekend cultural school, has a crush on Baked Potato, who goes to her high school.

Now, the purpose of the cultural school is to enlighten young minds and to teach them how to advance themselves spiritually. The environment in the school is spiritually uplifting. Any thoughts straying from spirituality would ruin the environment for everyone. These straying thoughts include Squash’s thoughts about Baked Potato. This doesn’t mean that Squash shouldn’t have a crush on anyone, but that she should control her thoughts so that thoughts about Baked Potato don’t interfere with her learning and spiritual development at the weekend cultural school. As long as Squash bifurcates the jumble of thoughts in her mind into two categories, Spiritual and Non-spiritual and maintains that separation while at the cultural school, she will be able to spiritually uplift herself and not keep others from uplifting themselves.

As you can see, it varies from situation to situation. In Watermelon’s case, it is imperative that he observes the set of rules inside and outside his cultural school environment. However in Squash’s case, the difference in her thoughts when she is in the spiritual environment and outside the environment is justified by her goal to spiritually uplift herself and to not hinder the spiritual growth of others.

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