Bhakti, Gyan and Karma by Emilio Mendez

THIRD PRIZE WINNER
Group 2 [Age 8-11 yrs]

Emilio Mendez- Vanderbilt, PA
Age: 11 yrs

Temples and holy places give us a way to reach God through practice of Bhakti Yoga, Jnana Yoga and Karma Yoga. 

Bhakti Yoga is devotion.  People usually come to the temple and meditate upon the Lord, chant His thousand names, pray, for puja,  This means that temples and holy places are a sacred place for worship and reaching the omnipresent God.

Jnana Yoga is the Yoga of Knowledge.  Temples and holy places offer books about God, sutras, and life of Swamis.  They also offer class like BalaVihar, Indian spiritual music, and opportunities to learn about 8 limbs of yoga.

Karma Yoga is Yoga of Action.   There are two types of karma, good karma and bad karma.  The karma temples and holy places teach us to practice is good selfless action.  Temples help the community by donating food to the food bank for the homeless and others in need, toys of children of poor families.  By doing these seva related activities, it helps you grow closer to God. 

All these Yogas – Bhakti, Jnana, and Karma – are ways to reach God.  The three practices to reach God make you become more purified and blessed by the Lord.  The less bad things you do, the sooner you will reach the Supreme Being, God.  Temples and holy places offer spiritual classes like meditation, yoga, BalaVihar classes,  for people to develop their spiritual values and reach God.

Temples and holy places try to do their best for people to reach God like teaching about the limbs of yoga.  You should visit the temple as many times as you can.  Everybody that goes to the temple dresses nice, with clean clothes, to show respect to God.  A temple is a house for God.  It’s kept clean and with good smelling incenses. Every time you go to the temple you feel God’s presence.  Sometimes if you come to the temple and pray for 5 minutes and then leave, the presence is still with you but you can’t feel it.  This means that temples and holy places have God’s powerful presence when you come in and chant God’s name and block out all thoughts, and sounds and desires.

God’s grace is everywhere not only in temples.  This means that temples and holy places can make you feel that God’s grace is much more powerfully present  when you come to the temple. 

A temple is not the only place for worship.  People have temples which are puja or meditation/prayer rooms in their homes.  This means that temples can be at home too because God is everywhere and is ever present. 

To me temples and holy places are a sacred place for praying.  When I go to the temple I become more peaceful and sometimes I sit and meditate and pray to God and chant his name.  Every time I go to the temple I become more peaceful and I can feel God’s presence when I meditate and chant His name.