Malini Srikrishna, MTS II | From the Hindu Tradition

From the Hindu Tradition Read by Malini Srikrishna, MTS II Seasons of Light is hosted by Harvard Divinity School's Office of Religious and Spiritual Life under the direction of Christopher Hossfeld, Director of Music and Ritual, and Kerry A. Maloney, Chaplain and Director of Religious and Spiritual Life. The full video recording of Seasons of Light 2020 can be found on the HDS YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVuYb9d7tCc&t=587s TRANSCRIPT: The ancient Indian or Hindu traditions are passed down by grandmothers, grandfathers, their stories and just the spirit of our ancestors. So here is a prayer my grandmother taught me. The human body is the temple of God. To kindle the light of awareness within you is to experience true light. The sacred flame in your inner shrine is constantly burning—embrace it! The experience of unity is what will enable you to find the purpose of this body, of this temple. Every season can be a season of light when we recognize that the true light is already always within us. To harness it, we must intentionally take the time to reflect on the ways in which darkness has shown up in our bodies and our lives. Be it through hatred, separation, ignorance or deception. A central aspect of discovering our inner shrine is recognizing the unity of all Life. If one life form suffers, you, me and all life forms are suffering in the process. To recognize that is to truly recognize ourselves, our unity. How we can manifest and really live this unity is by setting a clear vision for the way our lives will work to transform malicious histories into a future that reinforces truth. So, for this Season of Light, I invite you to discover the ways in which your body has been a carrier of histories of hatred and love and envision the future and qualities you want it to become a temple for. Let us be brave and let our fire burn all that is dark so we pave the way for an unimaginable and unifying light force. One that burns away hatred and is eternal in its capacity to love.