A temple' s strength is not in its bricks. Its fortitude comes from the dedication of its members.

A temple is not held together by plaster and mud.

Its glue is the piety and devotion of the community.

A temple is not simply a place we visit. It should be the axis around which our lives revolve.

People may ask, "but if God is everywhere, if every living being is a manifestation of Brahma, then why do we need to go to temple?" There are many reasons. The most important reason is that a temple is not only the home of God, but is a concentration of divine energy.

During the installation of the deities (Prana Pratishtha ceremony), the murtis become powerful manifestations of God. The priests chant special vedic mantras and perform special sacred rituals which endow these deities with divine attributes and powers. Therefore, praying before a deity in a temple may give us a greater sense of being in the presence of God, than praying in our own homes.

Additionally, the temple building itself is constructed in such a way as to maximize the concentration of positive, sacred and peaceful energies. The actual structure of a temple is said to represent the resting body of the Lord. The sanctum tower (vimanam) represents His head, the door of the sanctum is is His mouth, the entrance tower (raga gopurum) is His holy foot, and other parts represent His limbs. And, most importantly, deep inside the main structure is the sanctum sanctorum (garbha graha), which is the Heart of the Lord, and it is there that we place the deities.

Ancient rishis and saints could realize God through their meditations. They lived high in the Himalayas or in secluded forests. There were few distractions, and their lives were focused on one thing: attaining the divine vision. They, therefore, did not need temples. Their world was their temple. However, today, our lives are flooded with material desires, with mundane tasks, with logistic concerns. We must get up each day and go to earn a living to feed our families. We must live in a world that indoctrinates us to crave only sensual pleasures and material wealth. It is very difficult for this world to seem like a temple. Therefore, we must have a place which is sacred, a place which is holy, a place in which our sole purpose is becoming one with God, a place in which we hang up our daily concerns and troubles like coats at the door. We must have a place which focuses our mind on the true meaning in life. The temple serves this purpose.

A university student may claim he does not need to go to the library to do his homework – his dorm room is a fine place to study. Theoretically, that is true. The books are the same, the material to be learned is the same. However, we know that in a dorm room he will be constantly tempted by ringing phones, by knocks at the door, by loud music, by the desire to gossip with his friends in the hallway. However, the library is silent. It is a place devoted to academic studies. There, he will not be distracted. In the library, everywhere he looks he will see other students deep in their work. This environment will provide him not only with quiet in which to study, but also with inspiration from others who are there for the same purpose.

Similarly we go to temple for the sacred environment, for the holy energy in the building itself, for the divine presence of the deities, as well as for the inspiration of others who are focused on God.

However, a temple should not only be a place in which we worship. It should become the focal point of our lives. In the West, many of you have left your extended families back in India. Most of you do not have the luxury of living in a tightly-knit Indian community. Therefore, the temple should become that extended family; it should be your tightly knit community. Your temple should be the place where children come to learn about their heritage as well as to play with their Indian peers. Your temple should be your place of celebration during times of joy, as well as your place of comfort and solace during times of grief. Your temple should feed every aspect of your being: your hearts, your minds, your stomachs and your souls. Then, it will truly be a "mandir" and not only a building.