Some 4,000 miles away from London, I am currently in the ancient and holy town of Vrindavana. Krishna, the speaker of Bhagavad-gita, roamed these lands over 5000 years ago. From the external point of view there seems to be widespread poverty and decrepit infrastructure, but from the spiritual point of view this town is thriving. Crowds of pilgrims, bustling temples, lavish worship and constant devotional chanting fills the air at all hours. A visitor, however, challenged me with a thought-provoking inquiry. Why spend so much money on flowers, dresses and golden ornaments for elaborate temple worship? Wouldn’t God be happier if we spent that money on helping the poverty stricken? Is God pleased when we offer Him sumptuous feasts while thousands of malnutritioned individuals lie on the temple doorstep? Are we satisfied in building huge ornate marble temples while orphaned children suffer in makeshift shanty towns? Have we become so interested in our own spiritual wellbeing that we’ve lost touch with the ‘real’ world?
Spirit + Ritual = Spiritual
Spirit + Ritual = Spiritual
Spirit + Ritual = Spiritual
Some 4,000 miles away from London, I am currently in the ancient and holy town of Vrindavana. Krishna, the speaker of Bhagavad-gita, roamed these lands over 5000 years ago. From the external point of view there seems to be widespread poverty and decrepit infrastructure, but from the spiritual point of view this town is thriving. Crowds of pilgrims, bustling temples, lavish worship and constant devotional chanting fills the air at all hours. A visitor, however, challenged me with a thought-provoking inquiry. Why spend so much money on flowers, dresses and golden ornaments for elaborate temple worship? Wouldn’t God be happier if we spent that money on helping the poverty stricken? Is God pleased when we offer Him sumptuous feasts while thousands of malnutritioned individuals lie on the temple doorstep? Are we satisfied in building huge ornate marble temples while orphaned children suffer in makeshift shanty towns? Have we become so interested in our own spiritual wellbeing that we’ve lost touch with the ‘real’ world?