371 – Why do temples have domes?

 

The temple domes were modelled on the sky. If one sits under an open sky and repeats AUM, one’s voice will be lost, because the strength of an individual’s voice will be lost in the sky. One will not be able to hear the reverberation and the echo of the chanting. The sky absorbs it.

Domes were built so that the resonance of one’s chanting would rebound in the interior of the dome. The dome is actually a small semi-circular prototype of the sky. It has the same shape as the sky touching the earth on all four sides. Whatever prayers or chanting is done under its canopy, they remain in the dome as the dome bounces back the sound to meditator. It was also observed that stone too could multiply the resonance to a tremendous degree.

What is the objective for the dome?

The answer is that when one chants Aum, and it is done intensely, the temple dome, by the nature of its design, helps in the formation of a circle by echoing the sound. And this sound circle creates a blissful experience.

When the formation of the circle happens one is no longer a devotee before the divine but one’s prayers are being answered. With this resonance, one becomes part of the divine experience and one is energized with prana.

The dome shaped temples were used to create sound circles through the chanting of mantras. If one chants there, sitting all alone in perfect peace, then as soon as the sound circle is formed, the thoughts will stop.

Reference: The Hidden Mysteries, By Osho.

Aim Hrim Klim

Photo by Hans Vivek on Unsplash

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *