The Parable of the Lost Son

Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.

“Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

“When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ So he got up and went to his father.

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

“The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

“But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.

“Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’

“The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’

“‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”

courtesy: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+15:11-32&version=NIV

"Idol worship- Murti Puja"

Idol worship is worshiping a form. Although the idea that god is formless is ideal a normal mind cannot worship or think of an abstract concept. Worshiping is not about what God is but about what you can do naturally. Let's understand the three features of the mind.

1. Externalisation: The mind is always trying to run outwards. When you close your eyes and sit for meditation or desire concentration on one thought, one mantra, one image, the mind tries to run outside. So it is very natural for the mind to worship something that is outside.
2. Objectification: You cannot think of a pink elephant without creating an image of it in the mind. It is so natural that when you read or hear the word "ROSE" the mind creates an object that you understand as a rose. This happens to you so naturally. It is by nature that the mind needs an object.
3. Association: The mind cannot stay on one thought for long. The mind hops from one thought to the other. Even when you are concentrating on some God like Shri Rama your mind will divert. Now this diversification can be connected or completely disconnected to the central thought. In worshiping idol there is a beautiful concept of worshiping the "panchayatan". You must have observed that Shri Ram is not worshiped alone. He is always accompanied by Sita, Laxman, Hanuman and Shri Ganesh idols. So your mind may wander while thinking about Ram but not so far. Shri Vishnu shahastranaam is an excellent example of law of association. It is a poetic praise of Lord Vishnu, wherein the mind goes on from one aspect of shri vishnu to the other. And so is Hanuman Chalisa, Atharva shirsha, Ramraksha stotra, Shiv tandav stotra etc.

Moorti puja is a way to worship God by utilising the natural tendencies of the mind viz. Externalisation, objectification and asssociation. Once the mind gets trained to be internalised, abstract and dissociated a worshipper will no longer need the idols.

Who am I?
Our life is the quest to find an anwer to this question. Am I the body? No because the one who is thinking about this is not the body.
Then, am I the mind who is thinking? But then I can observe my thoughts. I can sometimes understand that the mind is playing some games. Then who am I? I don't know what is soul. I have not observed it. The soul is something other than body and mind. It is thought that identifying this is the quest of life. I was always puzzled why all the scriptures and philosophies just dont mention who I am. Why is it left for me to find out?
I have been blessed to have met very great Gurus in my life. What I could faintly understand from their teachings is that there is no answer to this question. Just because the mind wants something to play it is asking this question. And the answer that I am nothing wont satisfy this mind. So the ancient scholars want ourselves to search and be assured that "I am indeed nothing." And that nothing is everything. And everything is nothing. So Iam actually nothing into nothing. Sri Sri Ravishankarji said it so easily and the mind understood it so easily but experiencing that nothingness is the journey for me yet to be completed.

In search of nothing- Paresh