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Dylan Cohen
Mrs. Lucarelli
Comparative Civilizations
9 November 2015
Hindu Religious Ceremony Reflection
After having attended the Hindu religious ceremony, I gained a vast amount of
knowledge and incite regarding Hindu culture; which has provided me with a perspective
completely contrary to my own Jewish heritage. My observations, as well as contributions to the
ceremony, undoubtedly aided my experience in presenting me with a brand new interpretation of
religion. Prior to my visit at the Hindu temple, I had only been to Jewish temples and had only
been exposed to the Jewish culture which includes the ways to pray, where to pray, and when
to pray. The most intriguing part about the Hindu ceremony was that it was less of a formal,
structured occasion as it is in my religion; rather, people are able to enter the temple whenever
they please, and can carry on with their business by blessing themselves however they please
through the many different deities placed around the premises. Posterior to this experience, I was
able to understand the freedom Hinduism offers to its followers, and the leniency there is in
temple. Not to be misconstrued, there are rules one must follow, like one must not take
photographs of the deities (which I learned the hard way); however, it is my understanding that
there are no regulations regarding how one must go about worshipping their gods. Overall, from
my experience at the Hindu temple, I am clearly able to identify, and more importantly,

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comprehend Hindu values in their religious efforts. To conclude, it goes without question that
one can study theology from a textbook, however, there is nothing more intriguing then the rich
conclusions one can draw from a real celebration of spirituality.