Hinduism—Smita Rane
Smita talked about sacred spaces in her native India. She said that one finds temples, mosques, synagogues, Christian churches, and Sikh gurudwaras all over India. There is a special set of four temples in northern India (Yamunotri, Gangotri, Badrinath, and Kedarnath) to which every Hindu dreams of making a char dam, or pilgrimage. The largest mosque in India, Jama Majid in New Delhi, holds 25,000 people. One of the oldest synagogues is in Kochi in the southern part of India. The Golden Temple, in Amritsar, is the most beautiful gurudwara, and lovely churches and Buddhist temples are all over the country.
Most Hindu temples are open for prayer for all people, not just Hindus. When people go to the temple, they take flowers, coconuts and sweets as offerings. Weddings are performed in temples. A baby, when ready for its first solid food, is taken to the temple; a special ceremony is held, and the baby is fed there. Generally, a person’s 60th birthday is celebrated in the temple. Shoes are removed before entering a temple, and modest dress is worn. Women who are menstruating do not enter a temple, nor do they go near the shrines in their own homes.
Each family has its own shrine at home where prayers are offered daily. The shrine contains a picture or small statue of Lord Ganesha, a statue of the family’s deity (which is passed on by one’s ancestors), and statues of other deities. In Smita’s home, a lamp is lit and the family says prayers in a short ceremony. Other families may have more elaborate rituals.
Smita showed pictures that she had taken of temples in India and during her visits to other countries. She told us of a Hindu temple in Baldwinsville and another in Rochester. Smita has also visited and photographed Sikh gurudwaras, Buddhist temples, Muslim mosques, Jewish synagogues, and Christian churches. She says that whatever place of worship she visits, she feels that “This is God’s place.” Although the names are different, the feeling is the same.
Christianity (Roman Catholic)—Melissa Clark
Melissa was very specific about naming her sacred space. It is St. Andrew’s Roman Catholic Church in Syracuse. Melissa travels there from her home in Auburn because it has welcomed her and others like her who have a different sexual orientation. Melissa said that although she transitioned gender-wise, she did not transition faith-wise. She needed to find a parish where she could be accepted, not just tolerated. Gay and lesbian masses are held twice a month at St. Andrew’s, but all people are welcomed there for the regular masses. She likened the space created by the small group within the larger group as akin to the early church. It is not so much the building, but the people who come together, that create the sacred space.
Without this space, Melissa said, she would be lost. She has had to deal with so many negatives and so many hurts that having a place where she can connect with others, with herself, and with God is very important in her life.
Melissa says that there is a bit of a Gnostic belief within her that God resides in each and every one of us. Getting in touch with that special place within herself is as important as attending Mass. She is very grateful that St. Andrew’s has given her that opportunity.
Buddhism—Bonnie Shoultz
Bonnie, who is now a Buddhist nun, said that on her first visit to a Buddhist center, she had the feeling that she was in a sacred space, a space where she wanted to be. As she studied Buddhist teachings, she came to realize that all space is sacred; yet each of us has spaces that manifest, for us, this sense of the sacredness of all. For the purposes of this presentation, she focused on Buddhist altars.
Although there are seven altars at the Zen Center, Bonnie chose to focus on the one in the place of meditation, the Zendo. She held up a large photograph of the Zendo; it is orderly and has symmetry. Buddhist altars tend to have certain common elements: a candle or a light, a bowl of water, a flower or a vase containing something living, and an incense burner. Those four things represent air, water, earth and fire. Also on the altar are figures of the Buddha. Figures of two Bodhisattvas—Kanzeon, the Bodhisattva of compassion, and Jizo, the Bodhisattva of protection—are on their own particular altars; they represent our Buddha nature, Bonnie said, our compassionate nature and our need to protect ourselves and others.
Everyone is welcome to come and meditate at the Zen Center. In fact, Bonnie says, people from other faiths who come to the center seem to feel that there is no contradiction there. Rather, they seem to feel that their own spirituality is enhanced.
Sharing
After the presentations, there was an opportunity for members of the audience to share their stories, questions and thoughts about spaces sacred to them. One member told of creating a sacred space in a room that became available when her children left home. Several women mentioned finding sacred space in nature. Others mentioned special churches. A Muslim sister said that everywhere God’s name is mentioned is sacred space, but she also told of being overwhelmed in both her body and her heart while being part of 3 million people on the hajj. She felt that God was closer than her own heartbeat.