"Surname 1Name:Instructor:Course:Date of Submission:A Preview of Hindu Temple ProgramsI have always wondered how Hindus worship; even if I have heard some stories and readblogs about the religion, I have never had a chance to experience personally the proceedings ofthis popular religion. The Hindu religion is known for a number of reasons but the common onesare the massacre of Hindus and those who in any way supported or funded Hindu activities in anumber of cases in the history. But, despite that, I just wish to know their operations andpractices that maybe have led to the death of many followers. For the urge to know more aboutthis religion, I set out with my friend to Parasedena Sivan Hindu temple.The Hindu community is growing in the State of California. There is a number of Hindutemples available, but I choose Paraseda Sivan Hindu Temple because it is friendly andwelcoming. The Paraseda Hindu Temple contact information is:Address: Parasedena Sivan Temple 46 N. Lotus Ave., Parasedena, CA 91107Their telephone number is (626) 304-0794. The contact information of Parasedena SivanHindu Temple is found in the Temple site, http://www.losangeleshindusociety.org/contact.htm. So, after finding the contact information, I was undecided on whether to call them or write anemail about my visit. In my life, I have always believed that actual personal information is Surname 2crucial in negotiating and convincing a person. But I wrote an email first explaining myadmiration of the religion and my wish to look unto and study their services.Upon my research,I realized that Parasedana Sivan Temple is a member of Los Angeles Hindu Society whichregulated the practice and endeavors of Hindu Society of Los Angeles and the larger CaliforniaState.From the association site, I learned a great deal about the Hindu practice (ParanesadaSival Hindu Temple, n.a).So, I became well-prepared and hoped for revelations that will not be so different frommy personal religious beliefs. I was worried about language and customs that are practiced byHindus, wondering if I had to practice Hindu welcome and other language words. Indeed, frominformation I had, Hindu beliefs and practices are so odd. I could not get a credible internet orother source that could guide me, but I was prepared to experience an environment just like theMuslim religion or a bit more different. Hindu is a religion known for its multiple godsworshiping and is popular in India and other larger parts of the Indian sub-continent.Hindupractices are based on certain laws and regulations that are grounded on two societal norms:dharma and Karma.With that information, I was ready to visit and experience the scenes ofrather pure and organized religion inthe history.The ExperienceThe Hindu religion is believed to be the oldest and major in History. The Hindus worshipa number of deities or gods and goddesses. Their definition on true worship of one God isbasically from one sect of the Hindus to the other. The most common gods or deities associatedwith Hindu worshiping are Brahman and Shiva, Vinshu and Shakti.There are those men whodoes not believe in any gods but seek the worship through realization of true self by meditation. The Hindu religion is wide and is arranged in many sections and beliefs.Surname 3Arriving at Paranesada Sivan Hindu Temple, I had all that in mind. My friend has a greatadmiration of the Hindu religion that he was just telling me that if he was such a religious man,he could only be a Hindu.Asking him why, he said that the depiction and understanding of Godand religion is very well-guided by the Hindu culture; no matter you worship one or all gods,your humility is found in your personal morality and a clean heart. All is true. The ParanesadaSivan Temple is a huge round building that has several extensions. To me, it looked like thoseold Roman Catholic churches built in Italy. Indeed, they used the ancient Indian architecture tobuild this huge and Victorian temple. They have an expansive parking space. I stood out of thecar and looked at a building which my younger cousin, who likes old war movies, will call acastle. Huge pillars and a solid foundation made the Temple look like the outstanding Temple ofNew Dheli , India. Our guide, a Hindu comrade who is my classmate, leads to this glamoroustemple. On the foot of the temple, there are bowls of water, huge bowls that are fitted in thepillars of the temple. Our guide tells us that the Hindu temples are built near water streams orwhere there is a source of water. But because the Los Angeles landscape does not have suchplaces and if they are there, rich men and government had taken over them. Hence, they putwater in front of a temple to present the purity of the temple. Water is believed to be pure, and wherever there is a stream of water, that place isdeemed to be pure. The magic of building a temple is based on the ritual of water and landsignifying purity and fertility (Elgood 1991).I was shocked to learn that the soil type shouldalso be determined as well as the colour and smell of the soil. Then, on the part of tiling, ourguide gave us an explanation that irrespective of the significance of a soil type, tiling signifiesthe new life that soil has been given. This is to ensure that nature has not been disturbed in anyway. The Hindu religion holds dear nature and its surroundings. Surname 4The Hindu temple architecture is based on specific criteria that are used to make all temples. The metaphysical art of designing a temple is based on a geometric plan that intersects a squareand circle. The Paranesada Sivan Hindu temple was crafted in such an architecture defining anart of geometry that is beautiful to watch (Danielou 2001). The morals and etiquette of Hindubelievers is totally in order. You could see believers going in and out and bowing to each otheras a sign of respect to and saying “hi”.Their humble conversations and interactions could beseen everywhere.Once I saw a younger boy near to us, I was dumbfounded not knowing what todo. The respect and organization of these believers is practically above the level I see in my localCatholic church. They command scenery of love and worship more than any other place I haveever seen. The architecture and design art is more dominant in the Temple. After removing ourshoes and being in a proper dress code, we headed to the temple. Indeed, when you are in Rome,do as the Romans do. The dress code involved tying a scarf on your head and another garmentaround your body; luckily, we had planned for that. I have never seen an inside of a church thatis so beautiful and organized like the Paranesada Sival Hindu Temple. They have organized thetemple beautifully with most parts of the temple empty.The temple was kept like a shrine, withnumerous idols of various gods and goddesses. I looked like Muslims the Hindu temples thathave no chairs. You will have to sit down in a specific manner and worship your god.It was also a shock that Hindus do not have to go to the Temple to worship. A Hindutemple is like a shrine, there are all types of gods and goddesses. So, according to your belief andunderstanding, you will only need these gods and goddesses in your house. Most Hindu believershave shrines in their houses and worship their gods wherever they want. But then Temples arethere for general attendance and seeking the service of the priest. At Paranesada Sival Hindutemple, there were not many people who came for the worship. So, we went and sat on the back Surname 5so as to see the proceedings clearly.To worship one god in the temple, you will need all yoursenses to connect with god. The priest will pray for you in temple by chanting and bowing to thegods and goddesses. You will only have to go to the temple, sit down and then start bowing andpraying to the gods. The priest is an intercessory who receives your players and then presentsthem to the gods and goddesses.The players are short and only involve bowing in front of yourgod and praying seeking advice and guidance. There was not much I would discover tounderstand more about Hindu worship. But our guide explained that Hindu worship is aboutrespect and praise to the gods and goddesses; hence the most important things are the idols of thegods and goddesses present at the church. By looking and bowing at them and giving yourplayer, you could have finished your worship. The temple also had certain scriptures of a bookwhich they use in worship. The book only gives guidance on proper worship. After the bowingwas over, some worshipers will go to the priest and seek guidance and intercession. The priestwill then direct them on what to do.I learned three things from the visit to the Paranesada Sival Hindu Temple. I learnedvalues of respect and humility. Hindu believers are very humble and respectful. Their Namasteholding of hands together and bowing is full of respect and understanding of heart.Secondly, Ilearned the value of worship. Most of us go to church because we ought to, but I saw thedetermination and heart of Hindu believers that was amazing.The third issue that I finddiscouraging about Hindu worship is idol worship. I do not understand the reasons for their godsand goddesses worship but I find it confusing. They worship a number of gods with different andconflict ideals."The unexamined life is not worth living” Surname 6th Perhaps Socrates was one of the best philosophers of the 5 century. The quote “Theunexamined life is not worth living” has a vivid meaning and practice in the Hindu worshipculture. As it was earlier noted, the Hindu worship is the most controversial with the number ofbeliefs, gods, and goddesses they follow. There are those who do not belief in any god orgoddess but believe in the ritual of realization of their own life. These worship orchestratedthrough meditation and adherence to societal morals and norms help believers to understand theirown life. It is a reflective worship that seeks to help an individual look at his past and determinethe right and wrong choices he made. Then he will be able to understand his true self and set tolive a worthy live.Through worship and acceptance, we will be able to understand our own lives and livefor the better. The understanding that Socrates put forward has made many ask themselvesquestions is the reality of being open to others and allowing to be asked questions on yourthoughts and actions. It will be a “superficial act” to live in a life of denial and the lack ofmotivations that does not prompt your thoughts. Indeed, these words teach us a great wisdom oflife.Just like attending the worship where we go to seek understanding and faith from our God,we should be able to live a free life full of honesty and acceptance. Worship at great length helpsus understand our inner values and acts through benevolence and repentance. Through ourhearts, we seek acceptance and redemption from our God.These intercessions will help us toreflect our pasts and see what we ought to do in order to change (Socrates: A philosophical life,1997)Socrates also demanded that we should allow to be judged and spoke against as a meansof understanding ourselves better. In conclusion, Socrates provides a basis for worship, the pastand the revelation of our true character. Surname 7Works CitedDanielou, Alain. The Hindu Temple (Deification of Eroticism). Rochester, 2001. PrintElgood, Heather. Hinduism and the Religious Arts London, !999. Print.Kramrisch, Stella. The Hindu Temple (2 Vols.). Delhi, 2002. Print. Paranesada Sival Hindu Temple, n.a. Retrieved fromhttp://www.losangeleshindusociety.org/contact.htm.Socrates: A philosophical life, 1997. Retrieved fromhttp://www.philosophypages.com/hy/2d.htm "