What does it really mean, to worship?

 

Divinity is unmanifest, but man has an innate desire to perceive the Divine in the manifest creation around him. He creates idols, breathes faith into them and requests Divinity to be present in the idols for awhile so that he can worship, express his love and play with the Divine. At the end of his worship he requests Divinity to go back into his heart from where it manifested. This is in all puja practices. 

People do not actually worship the idols but instead worship the unmanifest Divinity which has all the Divine qualities. So, the idol worshippers of the East are not the same as those described in the Bible, because they are not just worshipping different gods and different idols, they are worshipping the one Divinity in many different forms. 

Paganism, Satanism and animal worship, without the knowledge of the one Divinity, is very different from seeing the Divine in every form of the manifest universe. In the Eastern tradition, gods and goddesses are part of the one Divinity like the different colors of white sunlight, while in the Greek tradition, gods and goddesses are in themselves different and unique entities. 

Worshipping Satan and different entities is completely unlike worshipping Divinity in its various forms. Every form belongs to the Divine. When you adore the form, you adore the Divinity behind the form. With this knowledge, the very act of worship, which is more an inner phenomenon, assumes a more colorful and vibrant expression indicating that both the form and the formless are all Divine.

Why we worship

 

For a flame to rise up, you need space above it. In the same way, for a man to rise up in his life, he needs an ideal, something to adore and worship. In worship, love, honor, respect and a sense of belongingness all come together. However, without a sense of belongingness, worship or idealism can lead to low self-esteem. Ancient people knew this so they insisted that people should feel a part of what they worship. They encouraged people to worship the sun, moon, mountains, rivers, plants, animals and other people. 

Worship is the culmination of love and appreciation. Worship prevents love from turning into hatred or jealousy, and prevents appreciation from becoming low self-esteem. In life, if you do not adore or appreciate anything, you will be filled with negativity; a person who has nothing to worship or adore is sure to fall into depression. 

Lack of adoration has led to many emotional, psychological and social problems in society. If you have nothing to hold high in life, selfishness, arrogance and violence are sure to follow. Adoring and honoring each other in society eliminates stress and fosters compassion and love. 

In the previous century, it was thought that worshipping was an uncivilized and unintelligent thing to do. Worship was thought to rise from a slavish mentality. In fact, it is just the contrary. Worship can only happen through gratefulness and not through subservience. Worship in a true sense is a sign of maturity and not of weakness. 

So, if worship is the culmination of love, does worship also have a culmination? The culmination of worship is self-knowledge, samadhi.