The Shrine-room

Lately, I’ve been thinking of the symbolism and spiritual significance of a shrine. Often, when I’m reading a book, the word will surface, highlighting a different association or meaning of the word, thereby sparking off new brain-waves! :)

We are all too familiar with shrines, being in a deeply spiritual land. Personally, I think of a shrine as a physical as well as a mental space, where your inner-self retreats to, where you can still the muddy waters of your heart-mind. Physically, this space can be a meditation hall/room or even a cell, similarly a prayer hall/room. I also see the shrines in which we place an image or a sculpture of our personal/family deity as symbolic of the shrine within us. As if the shrine outside has a corresponding or parallel space within - a space where our higher-self resides.

Coming to the title of this post, I knew the shrine-room was the working-title for my current works after I exprienced an "aha!" moment, while reading it in venerable monk Sangharakshita’s book, Living with Kindness. :)

Love + light!
Happy Weekend :D

P.S: To Old Vipassana Meditators- Guruji S.N.Goenka will impart metta and discourse at Global Vipassana Pagoda, Gorai as part of a one-day dhamma seminar on May 27th, call and register in advance, get their number from the Pagoda's website.
Be Happy! :)