( I visit small temples like this , rather than visiting those world famous temples . My reason of doing so is very simple, I do not want to allow people who are in charge of taking care of the temple to do business with me in the name of God. )
When I was a kid, my parents told me that, “God is everywhere.”
When I started growing, with time I realized that God is there in each of us just like the devil. Now it’s up to us, if we will let that God or devil to shine through us.
But who is God in reality, have anyone among us ever talked to him, met him or at least seen him. But yes, sometimes we can feel an invisible power which helps us, which makes us strong. Is this the power of God? I really do not know. But it’s all in the belief. If a person starts believing, then he can see a god in stone also and if not, then there is no point in visiting spiritual places like temples, churches or masques or gurudwaras.
But even though I believe in God, I can’t understand why people choose a specific temple or any other special spiritual place as the home of God and let few human beings, who are in charge of taking care of those spiritual places to be more powerful than God. They believe God is their own property and start doing business in the name of the God. They decide for how much time we can look in to the face of God. They let us to go in, if we are ready to pay for a 100 Rs ticket.
To be honest, although my own state is called as the state of temples; but I do not visit these so called famous places. My reason is very simple: If God can allow the people who are taking care of the temples to misbehave with so many innocent people, if god can let them fool and take money from so many poor people who come to his place from miles away just to seek blessing nothing else; then there is something wrong with either our belief or these places.
Now a day people do not worry to even kill others inside a spiritual place, just like it happened last week In Wisconsin. So there is something wrong not with our beliefs, but with our birth as humans. We do not deserve to be born as humans. May be God is doing some kind of mistake by bringing all of us to this materialistic world.
I strongly believe, if a person can’t respect someone other’s belief and religion then he can never respect his own. According to Hindu mythology, there are 130 millions God. Still as a Hindu Brahmin boy, I do not mind respecting Allah, Jesus or Waheguru. If one day I will fall in love with a girl of any other religion, I will not give it a second thought before getting her married. I know the society which I am part of will criticize it. But it does not mean there is something wrong with me or my beliefs, it just shows there is something wrong with the people who are part of this society and their beliefs. I do not mind visiting a gurudwara, church or a masque just as I visit a temple. It may not sound good, but still some people of my religion do not allow people of other religions to enter some specific temples in my part of world and I will never be afraid of saying that, they are wrong. They do not have the rights to decide it for all of us, who will meet God and who will not.
God is a power, no one can ever stop other accessing that power, seeking blessing from that power and believing in that power.
Now it’s up to you, if you want to accept what is wrong even though your own people are doing it or not.
And God please do something for all of us, so that we can prove those people wrong, who believe that we are wrong with our belief of your existence.
( A summary of a chapter “My thoughts on belief and religion” from my upcoming book)
Being Arindam.. 
Northern Narratives
August 11, 2012
Very thoughtful post. I enjoyed reading it.
Arindam
August 11, 2012
Thanks a lot.
allthingsboys
August 11, 2012
You are quite right! Some people call their conscience God…especially if it is always telling them what they are doing wrong… Nice post!
Arindam
August 11, 2012
Yes, everyone has their own way to define God; I just said about mine. Thanks a lot for the visit. I am glad you like this post.
She's a Maineiac
August 11, 2012
Great, thought-provoking post, Arindam. I wish everyone was more open-minded. I grew up hardly ever going to church, I found God in everyday things and places. I studied religion on my own but never felt the need to be in a certain place to worship. I see God in nature, in a baby’s smile, in a mom’s hug, in the love we feel for each other. I feel God is more an all-encompassing energy than anything, and we are all connected to each other through this energy. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this and I’m sure your book will do very well.
Arindam
August 11, 2012
Thank you, Darla. You said it so beautifully that, You see God in nature, in a baby’s smile, in a mom’s hug, in the love we feel for each other. Absolutely true. If many people will start believing so, then many major problems of this planet will solve automatically. I too believe God is a power, and we humans name that power with various names according to our belief and religion. I have respect for all the religions, because at the end of the day we all humans seek blessings from an invisible source and just like I do not follow those sets of rules our previous generations decided for us. I pray from my heart and soul and I believe when a person does something with his heart and soul there is no need to follow any rules.
And thanks a lot for your support. I actually need my book to do well. I am now little bit nervous about the response. Since past few weeks, I have not slept for a single night. It is actually quite a challenge to publish a book. But I hope, at the end of the day, the pleasure of holding your own book must be something else. Finger crossed. I am just hoping, praying, working and giving it my everything to do well. 🙂
Paula
August 11, 2012
Love your writing, love your voice.. all true, and i am glad you brought this subject up with this theme…. God does not reside in any splendorous church or temple, but in the people’s hearts… and hearts don’t distinguish between religions, colours or other superficial distinctions.
Arindam
August 11, 2012
Yes Paula, it all lies in our hearts and beliefs. There is no point in distinguishing ourselves according to our religion, nationality or colors. Thanks a lot for the visit. Have a great weekend.
Paula
August 11, 2012
You too Arindam. Always a pleasure to read you both here, and on my blog 🙂
Arindam
August 11, 2012
Same here Paula. 🙂
mj monaghan
August 11, 2012
Always a unique perspective. What I don’t understand is the inability of some people to see outside of their own bubble. There are very few people – if any – who think EXACTLY the same as any other person. Even within a family. And yet, we can’t understand why other people don’t think like we do.
The world can be a wonderful place. It starts with understanding ourselves, and others.
Arindam
August 11, 2012
Absolutely, Misunderstanding give birth to all those issues which are yet to be resolved. Each person who has the power, believe that he is wrong. Everyone realizes what is right and what is wrong, but at the end, the decision he takes is directly proportional to his own profit. This is trend which is part of every country and the sufferers due to this trend are no one other than us.
Sunshine
August 11, 2012
Yes, I would be like you Arindam if temples/churches charge you to go inside…God is truly within all of us.
I may have told you the story of the people who go around the bottom of the mountain preaching to all the people trying to climb up the mountain. Each is taking their own path up and the ones who seek the higher ground reach it, whereas, the ones telling everyone they are on the wrong path never get anywhere except at the bottom of the mountain…go figure. 🙂
Arindam
August 11, 2012
Absolutely right, Sunshine. How can someone make a person pay for his belief!
I liked you story, Sunshine. I have to figure it out soon. 🙂
Sunshine
August 12, 2012
Oh, the story, well, I think the moral of it is, stay away from those who tell us we are on the wrong path to enlightenment, just find the path you think is leading you higher and go for it…that’s the way I see it. Haha…see ya!
Arindam
August 12, 2012
I am trying to see that only, sunshine. 🙂 Thanks for showing me the way, to see things in proper manner. 🙂
Sunshine
August 13, 2012
Haha, anytime, Arindam…although you may be going in the wrong direction…sometimes I end up like that. Lol!
Have a great week!
Arindam
August 13, 2012
Ha ha. 🙂 Lol
You too have a great week, Sunshine.
pattisj
August 11, 2012
Thanks for sharing your insight/views of “religion” in your country. God didn’t make a mistake in bringing us here. Mankind has made the world what it is. We are given free will to choose which master we will serve. Keep seeking Truth, until it is found.
Arindam
August 11, 2012
Patti, I am not trying to challenge that power with these words of mine. I too believe in god, but I do not believe in the traditions, rules and regulations. I believe sometimes people interpret the whole process of spirituality in a wrong way. Thank you for sharing your thought Patti. Have a great weekend.
shanthisethuramans
August 11, 2012
Hi Arindam, What you have breifly explained about God in various temples are correct. We should make up our mind to keep good things and collect good informations when we visit the temple.
God is one, we can say Rama, Krishna, Jeesus, Allah all are same but they are in different shape.
If you realise the power from the God that ocuppies in our daily routine life that is enough for believing God, of course the power of God is invisible, but we can realise that, without God’s power nothing is impossible in the world. The Sun, The Moon, and the rain these are also called God, without these we cannot find Day and night,/water. In hidu temples you can find a God in stone shape to worship, if God is also like humanbeing, we cannot worship. we will say that if
somebody helps us in case of emergency(Blood Donating), we would say “You are like God and
helped me in time and saved my life. So we can find God in our duty, helping others, without doing
harm, thinking positive action, truth, love, mankind,pesce and all.
I have got good faith on God, I go to temple everyday and doing pooja at home. What we deserve only, God will give, we cannot expect anything from God unless we deserve for that.
meganchapple
August 11, 2012
I’m not a believer in God but this was a thought provoking and interesting read. Well done
Arindam
August 11, 2012
Thanks Megan. There is nothing wrong in believing that power whom we name as God. But things work in other way, when we let our beliefs to take control of our conscience.
Maxi
August 11, 2012
“…God is there in each of us just like the Devil.” Once again your words open my eyes and heart to something I had not thought of. Satan inside.
God gives us free will; who will we follow. Each time we sin, the devil is in control. To win the battle over evil, we choose a Higher Power … whoever that is to each individual.
How we live reveals what is in our hearts, and part of this is to respect others and their beliefs. No one is wrong because their beliefs differ from mine. We need to come together in the beliefs we have in common.
Blessings – Maxi
Arindam
August 12, 2012
Maxi I like it a lot, how you interpreted God. Yes, to win the battle over the devil which stays in us, to give enough space to help and prosperous our souls we choose a high power. Now what we name that power it depends on individuals. Great thought Maxi. I simply love these words.
Thanks a lot for sharing your wonderful thought here. Have a great Sun day.
Angelia Sims
August 11, 2012
It hurts my heart when I see harsh judgements by others because what they believe clashes with another. Life is about love. For ourselves and for others. You don’t need a temple or Chirch to do that. You only need to open the eyes of your soul. God loves us and them, no matter what any of us do, or don’t do.
Great post! Your book is going to be sooo good!
Arindam
August 12, 2012
It hurts me too Angelia; but the thing is that we can’t do much about the judgement of others. My question is why we need a specific place to establish our belief on something.
Thanks a lot for the kind words about my book. It just felt like you were praising my daughter (although I am yet to be a father, so I do not know how it feels then). 🙂 Waiting for the day when my book is going to see the light of the day.
souldipper
August 12, 2012
Arindam, I have felt your frustration. I have asked those questions. I have meditated for a total of many hours on just such agonizing and confusing observations.
I’ve learned that I am to live what is in my heart. I cannot change another. For one thing, when I have a lifetime to learn about me, how do I have time to focus on another? Humans have constructed, carved, designed, built, reformatted and built fences in every faith. It’s human nature to take the most simple, beautiful and loving concept and turn it into something complex.
We can only pray for those who judge who can be with God or make a profit on God’s back. We can ask that they be blessed and then get on with our own beliefs.
We have no idea the purpose of these souls undertaking such practices. Nor do we know about the person who is poor and believing they have to be under the power of those “managers”. Both groups of people have to deal with their tendencies – it’s not up to us to talk them into how they need to think, feel or be.
But we can be examples! We can show rather than tell. Attract the kind of people we want in our lives.
There is no way for one human to change another. That’s imprisonment. However we can live in a way causes others to want to be around us.
We can ask for opportunities to Love others. We can give something of ourselves to the poor. It is as important to share Love with one as it is with ten. A hundred doesn’t make us or our message any more important.
Love, deeply and sincerely given even to one, radiates beyond our imagination.
The world is full of people who tell. It is a challenge indeed to “show”.
souldipper
August 12, 2012
And, Arindam, what have I just done? There’s a lot of “telling” in what I wrote. How does it make you feel? I would have been practicing what I preach if I took the time to tell a story!!! That’s how we show.
Arindam
August 13, 2012
Amy aunty, It make me feel good for sure. Because now it’s time, You do the telling part and I will try my best to do the doing part. I am sure it will work for both of us. 🙂
Madhu
August 12, 2012
Absolutely agree with you on the shortcomings of most religions Arindam. I believe in God, just not in the prescribed ways to reach him!
Arindam
August 12, 2012
Thanks a lot Madhu. Absolutely, we do not need to learn mantra and sloka to pray god, when words come from heart, they always reach to the God. Why do we need to find a medium to establish our belief on God. Have a great Sunday.
becwillmylife
August 12, 2012
This is such a comprehensive subject, Arindam. You know what I mean? Religion, beliefs, faith, God…..people seem to make it so complicated. I grew up in the Catholic church…in the old days of ceremony and prescribed doctrine. I don’t subscribe to that anymore. I agree….God is everywhere. I pray to him all the time every day. I have a personal relationship with Him. I don’t need a building or a script to follow. Although the Bible is the text I believe in 100%, I respect all religions. We are a product of our upbringing and experiences. Religion is no different.
Arindam
August 12, 2012
Yes, believing is something can never be bad; if it helps us to grow as a human being, inspires us and motivates us. I am sure Bible does that for you. But as you set why we need a building, a script or set of rule in the name of tradition to follow.
Penny
August 12, 2012
Arindam,
Thank you visiting my blog and the nice feedback. I see you have done a very different interpretation here. And I think that’s exactly what you are saying, we are all different and that’s ok. Going to a particular church or mosque does not make you a better person. I’m not particularly religious but I love to visit churches and temples. I do think that beauty can help us to find god in ourselves. Anyway, enough. Just thank you.
Arindam
August 12, 2012
Thanks a lot Penny. It can never be wrong in which way or in which thing a person can see God. Some see it in their mothers, some in their wife or girlfriend, some in kids, some in animals, some in the statues made up of stone, some in pictures and the list goes on and on. We just need to feel and experience that power. But we must not allow our beliefs to divide us, after all what matters the most is we are all human. It was a pleasure to read your comment. 🙂
Jeff Sinon
August 12, 2012
Very well said! Thanks for sharing.
Arindam
August 12, 2012
Thanks a lot Jeff. Have a great Sunday.
shanthisethuraman
August 12, 2012
Hi Arindam, You have replied all except myself. Thank you for the same. So I will keep reading
your post without answering .
Arindam
August 12, 2012
Hi Shanthi, Nothing Like that. I am sorry for the late reply. There are so many parts in your comment I want to reply. But as I am busy with the final draft of my book, which will be publish within few weeks, so find it difficult to reply all the comments at a time. I hope you can feel through what I am going currently. 🙂 I will reply to all of yours comment soon Shanti.
syamktr
August 12, 2012
Nice series of photos and well expressed.
Arindam
August 12, 2012
Thanks a lot Syam. 🙂 Great to see you here.
shanthisethuramans
August 12, 2012
Thank you for your reply. Please go ahead with your new article which can be published with full swing.
Arindam
August 12, 2012
The pleasure is mine to reply all of you, who share their thoughts on my posts, Shanti! Thanks for the support.
Rafa
August 13, 2012
Very interesting. It’s nice to hear that I share the same principles with some other people. I was born and baptized under my family’s religion. A decision my parents made for me. But i was grateful that my father let me see and learn other beliefs and explore other religious sects as i grow up and started to thin on my own. Ive been to 10 different churches, learnt different teachings and rules, trying to find my own place. I always wanted to be spiritually stable. Until one day, I just stopped. With the same reason youve stated above- people in most of those churches us their so-called ‘sacred positions’ and powers in deceiving people to make money and mix politics, in the Name of God. Very disappointing, yet many of us follow and believe them blindly. Now I realized that I don’t need to belong to any of those churches to be able to find and talk to God. I realized that everyone of us can be God’s temple if we just let him live in our hearts and lead our lives. It’s FAITH. No one can
Rafa
August 13, 2012
No one can imprison God inside a solid object (a house,a rock,or a photo) and push other peole to worship and make them believe that one should pay first inorder to talk to God. Does it mean that people who can’t afford to give money have no right to a communication to our God? It’s unjust.
It is true that God can be felt simply through the breeze in the air,and I can say that I can pray more solemnly when I’m just staring at the bright sky in the morning or the starry one at night, than being inside a church with other people I barely know.
I never even intended to marry my prince inside any church, for almost all the church-weddings I’ve witnessed were not intimate and solemn. I always wanted to get married beside nature- at the beach,in a high top mountain, in a river side,where I can feel God’s presence and blessings.
Rafa
August 13, 2012
Im sorry my comment went too long 🙂 I was just so moved by your post. So that’s how I believe my friend-that God is everywhere, and His love is in every breath we take. I just know that I have my God, my Creator, my Protector and Redemeer, and He’s always here with me.
and P.S. I can see that you make the other readers jealous when you dont reply to their comments (LOL). Looking forward to your response. Again, thank you for sharing.
Arindam
August 13, 2012
Do not ever worry about the length of your comments Rafa. 🙂 It’s a pleasure of mine to know what you feel about my thoughts which I share with my blog.
No I always reply to each one of yours comments. But currently the publishing stuffs require a lot of my time. So I am finding it difficult to reply everyone’s comment at a time. Still all of yours comment inspire me and motivate me. You all are now part of my family. And is there anyone who do not like to interact with his family members? I hope not. So how could I be so different.
Have a great week ahead Rafa!
Rafa
August 14, 2012
A pleasure to be referred as your family. You’re a thoughtful man Arindam. All i can say is thank you for letting us all have a fruitful ride along the path of your beautiful mind. Keep it up my friend, i wish for the success of your books (ive got the faith you’ll do great). Visiting your blog gives me break between my routinary job, it makes me think, a fresh escape fr0m my monotonous work, lol.
Arindam
August 18, 2012
You people are actually part of it now. I am glad to hear that, my blog could give you a break between your routine job. Thanks a lot for the wish. It means a lot. I need it to be a success. Let’s see!
eof737
August 14, 2012
“If a person can’t respect someone other’s belief and religion then he can never respect his own.” Your statement is so true! Until we learn to treat each other with respect not prejudice, we will never learn to enjoy our own lives. Hatred of others begins with self-hatred… even when masked.
Arindam
August 14, 2012
Thank you Elizabeth. “Hatred of others begins with self-hatred… even when masked.”- this one is a so meaningful line. Thanks a lot for visiting and sharing your wonderful thought here.
ioanna aggelidaki
August 14, 2012
I agree with your post so much. For me God is one thing and religion an other. I feel closer to Him when i am in nature than when i am in a temple. All religions have ended up being full of rules, dos and don’ts and we have forgotten the basics. That we are all basicly the same, and we sould respect and love each other. The feeling i have most of the time when visiting a crowded temple is hypocrisy….
Arindam
August 14, 2012
Yes Ioanna, I am going to agree with you when you say, “All religions have ended up being full of rules, dos and don’ts and we have forgotten the basics.”. The core of every religion is very much same, which are Love, Peace and respect. But somehow the people forgot those basics while remembering a set of rules and regulations. Thanks a lot for the visit Ioanna. It’s always a pleasure to see you here.
amira
August 14, 2012
Good post Arindam 🙂
God is in us, with us, around us.
It’s not in a specific stone, forte or inside a church or mosque.
Faith and belief in humanity above all is what we need. I don’t deny the existance of a all powerful God. for without a God it is difficult to explain the existence of this world.
But dividing the humanity in the name of Gods, religions is a bit bizzare to me.
I am a muslim and as you, I have no trouble going into other places of worship. In addition to mosques, I have been in temples, churhes, and a guruduwara and I find it amazing how people associate themselves with their own gods. How humble the atmosphere is in any of these religious places. It is just so peaceful and tranquil no matter whether a temple, church, mosque or guruduwar. When I stand in those places I can’t understand how people can be mean towards people from other religions.
Recently I was in Nepal and went to a temple with Nepal friends, The temple is a renowed place and I felt in awe of the place. It was huge, beautiful and so peaceful – but soon I was confronted by security guards with guns just because I wear my headscarf (as muslim identify) – I was yelled at saying “you cow eating …”.
I was horrified and badly shaken with that experience.
Arindam
August 15, 2012
Your definition of God is perfect, Amira. “Faith and belief in humanity above all is what we need”-absolutely true! No one can justify it right, what happened with you in Nepal. That’s actually my point. We need to accept that mistake, does not matter if our own people are doing it. How can someone stop any of us, to visit a spiritual place. I always wonder, who is the person who came up with such set of rules, which is just not right.
I visit every spiritual place. My parents have no problem if I go to a church, masque or a gurudwara just like I go to temple. That’s how I have grown up. I do not know how to pray inside a church or a masque; so I bend my knees with two hand together just as I do inside a temple. I believe when a person pray with his heart and soul at proper place, he does not need to learn these sets of rules. Let’s hope, people who are in charge of this place will realize it someday.
AshaS
August 16, 2012
Dear Arindam,
To start with, I am thoroughly impressed with the way your thoughts flow and your style of projecting them on paper. There were so may moments I wanted to scream in delight this – ‘These words are straight from my heart and through my lips’… Also this ‘ It is the taste of my soul’ but like I said I kept screaming all through the post and loved it exponentially.
Being a new blogger, I haven’t come across many fellow-bloggers as yet but enormously glad to have stumbled across yours. The pictures are scintillatingly beautiful. You get them right from your heart through your hands.
Seconding your thoughts, God is with us no matter who we are, how we are and where we are!
Intend to keep stalking your blog eternally (hope that’s not much to say). Keep them coming!
-Asha
Arindam
August 18, 2012
Thanks a lot Asha for all these kind words. I am glad that you enjoy my writing. Actually I share what my heart feels about various issues with my writing. I try to keep it as simple as possible. But let me tell you, you are doing a great work with your blog. I am sure you will meet lot more bloggers who are much more talented than me and they are all inspiring. I wish you a wonderful journey in this blogging world. Looking forward to read yours too. Keep on writing. You are actually good at it.
island traveler
August 17, 2012
Stunning images that moves the reader. Beautiful thoughts Bro. Thank you.
Arindam
August 17, 2012
Thanks a lot bro. 🙂 These are some of the thoughts and pictures from my book. I am glad you liked it. Have a great day!!
raaina
August 26, 2012
If more people thought like this, or at least put this thoughts into practice. Perhaps the world would be a better place. – I loved this post.
Arindam
August 26, 2012
Thanks a lot Raaina. 🙂 Yes I too hope like you and the best part is, it’s not that difficult to put this thought in practice. It’s all about the intention.
bhawana
August 26, 2012
i am alz afraid about two people in this world :
“Gnostic and Agnostic”
very dangerious……..can do anything o.O
Arindam
August 26, 2012
Bhawana, I am not sure if they are dangerous or not; but I would never prefer to term myself any of them. 🙂
pennycoho
September 6, 2012
Each of the “greatest spiritual leaders” in history, from all of the various religious beliefs, mention, in their holiest of words “the God within” each of us! It can be no coincidence Arindam. There is God within each of us, lying dormant in some, emerging in others, and coming into glorious awareness even as I write this. For whatever religious belief an individual may have the truth is within us, waiting, to be found. Belief it! It is so. Love will find a way. Thru the harsh unjust cruelties of everyday life and what some people do to others, Love will find a way. It is who we are, It is where we are.Hang on, believe in all that you believe, it is right, it is good. Humanity is stll emerging discovering itself, all the bad and the good, This I believe with every single beat of my heart Arindam, I do believe…Penny