I am visiting a Hindu temple in The Hague. A family member of mine knows colleagues who come over there. The temple is maintained by the Shiram Mandir foundation, which "meets the needs of the Hindu community throughout the Netherlands by holding church services on a weekly basis."
See also http://shrirammandir.nl
The temple is located in the Schilderswijk, a
neighborhood of The Hague, and I think it is housed in a former school and has
been enlarged inside, so that I was pleasantly surprised to see a huge space
with many Hindu gods, texts, decorations, golden domes, altars. In short it was
as a whole full of inspiration and atmosphere and special energy. We took off
our shoes on our arrival, and we really stood out as original Dutch people tall
and white and blond and so but we were warmly welcomed by people from the Hindustani
community. I quickly felt at home even though I really didn't know much about
all the symbols and images. And the Mandir, the leader, said a lot, but that
was in Hindi, so we didn't understand anything. Where do I look at, how does it
come across to me, what do I find impressive or strange? Well that's what I'm
going to describe.
·
I feel how I am
immersed in an age-old tradition of devotion and fine energy. Somewhere is
sung, we have the Dutch translation on paper "Come to me, My child"
appears Brahman telling us. Well, of course, that feels very welcome. I think
Brahman is the same as Allah, God or Yahweh of course. There is a lot of beautiful
singing and partly because of this I feel how I am becoming more open to the
beautiful old Hindu values of faith. I feel awe, respect for the divine
world, sincere faith and surrender. I also feel the support from the spiritual
world as if we are immersed in grace and love so that we can stand it again in
the outside world.
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Throughout the
service rituals, prayers and bows are performed, and flowers and food offered on all
kinds of altars, and I don't know the names of all those gods, but I do see
Krishna, Ganesh, Shiva, Vishnu and Durga somewhere. As far as I am concerned,
they are all aspects of Brahman having here their own power and strength and
status. But they are really Hindu gods without any doubt. In addition to the
mandir, an older couple performs rituals throughout the meeting. It feels very
devotional, warm and respectful. I think that's the older notables of the
community, maybe the elderly ex-mandir and his wife. Later on I hear that this
role is always performed by an different
older couple, and that old man is the cleaner at the school where my
family member is working, and his wife.
I think that is really very special. Although the mandir is a man, I see all
kinds of women performing rituals, in any case I have the impression that the
feminine aspect is well given room in this temple, such as Durga, one important
goddess.
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Almost at the end of
the service all of us get a dot painted with dye on our foreheads (I understood
it is a bindi painted at the place of the chakra of the forehead). I am very
moved, as a Catholic I experience it as a kind of communion, something sacred
and that we as an outsider also get such a dot on the forehead feels very
welcome and open, so of the sort of “we are all children of Brahman "
My son, I will do so in the next blog.
My blessings to you all
No 456
