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transcription begins

Date: September_18_1998
Topic: Lift the Self up
Category:
Duration: 5 min., 52 sec.
Date Given: September 18, 1998

Here at Kauai Aadheenam on the Garden Island of Kauai, it is Friday, September 18. Aloha!

'Aloha' means the spirit of love and trust, encompassing everyone. Everyone is our friend in the Aloha spirit on this island of Kauai. We are all one family, we are Kauains.

Today, Acharya Kumaraswami gave a beautiful talk to the congregation here on Kauai, that comes to the temple on Sun 5, on our mystic moon calendar.

Perhaps you have noticed that we have better technology. We hope it helps because we have set up a new microphone system for me to talk to you and you to hear me. So let me know, if it has any kind of improvement on your computer screen, as we are looking at each other, today.

Well, we have 20 or 30 new computers arriving today. After 4 or 5 years of using computers, new and faster ones are coming from our wonderful benefactor in California, who so graciously has given this boon. We are so grateful. Honestly, all the monks who are renunciates are not so much a renunciate today, because they have a bigger, a faster, more memory computer than they have ever experienced in their lives. You know, it is really amazing that as soon as we get a faster computer, somehow or other when it gets plugged in to the network, all of our other computers become slower. How does that work?

Paramacharya Bodhinatha and team, our ministry in India, have left Chennai for Salem today, to visit a fund-raising team for the Iraivan Temple that is working there in the Indian community. We wish you well and are waiting for your report, so that we can explain what you are doing on our information page. We are trying to focus all of our members of Saiva Siddhanta Church in enrolling new subscribers for 'Hinduism Today'. You can help, too.

'Hinduism Today' is the prow of our ship. It is our public service, it is our outreach. We need more subscribers. Not that we don't have enough, but there is always a desire for more, because it is a beautiful magazine. It is the only one that encompasses all of the Hindu religion.

Now, to you. I have been thinking about you today. Everyday I sit overlooking the sacred Wailua river with Sannyasin Saravanathaswami reading to me the mail and e-mail that I receive. I give him my replies to forward back on to you. All of you are very special people who are looking at me today and myself, looking at you.

You are courageous. You are happy. You are strong. You fear nothing. That is the great potential of you that the Vedas declare, "That is the real you." Let no one make you fearful. Let no one make you doubtful. Let no one break your spirit. You are here on Earth to lift yourself up and once you have done that, lift others up. That is the purpose of our being here. No other purpose. To realize the Self, love your Self.

That does not mean to realize your individual, little, low, ego identity, depart from your family and run away from home, disobeying them and going into a gang or experience all the lower life. That is not lifting your Self, that is degradation. That will be many, many lives for overcoming the karmas that you create by doing that. So, give up that idea, if you have ever had any in your head. I may not be talking to you. But, there is someone out there that will see this and realize what I am talking. When you do, that is you.

You are a divine soul, impervious. You can only be touched by other divine souls. We are touching our souls today. This is darshan. I am seeing you and you are seeing me. I am always reminded of this little song.

I will be seeing you
in all those familiar places
that this heart of mine embraces
All they seem
in that small way ....
through our computers
They are like a yogi cave across the way
a magic inner bell,
a wishful, wishing tree
the light of lives lived well.

I will be seeing you tomorrow
in every Indian summer day
in everything that is bright and gay
I will always think of you that way
I will find you in Surya's morning sun
and when it is Siva's night at noon
I will be looking at my ...
Macintosh screen!

....... and seeing you on your PC or your Macintosh!! I will be seeing the soul of you, as you are seeing the soul of me. Until tomorrow!
transcription ends

Island friend, Marty Khan, had his 55th birthday yesterday and came to the Aadheenam with his wife Carol and a group of friends for the tour day. Gurudeva gave Marty a shawl.

Gurudeva and Acharya Palaniswami talked with the group. Kauai Aadheenam and the monks have always maintained an open and positive relationship with the island community. Gurudeva has often told the monks that we are privileged to be on this island and our duty should be to "give back" in various ways. In turn island residents are very supportive and feel honored to have Gurudeva and the monastery as part of this small island community of only 60,000 residents.

In the Ganapati Kulam, our publications team is 100% focused on the final stages of production of "Living with Siva." Here Sivakatirswami helps with a project to import digital art pages into the Section and Chapter Heading pages. If you look at your copy of Dancing with Siva, or Merging with Siva, you will see the black and white/greyscale backgrounds at the beginning of each chapter. In Living with Siva these will be all in color as well as the exquisite paintings by A., Manivel such as the one you see here on the left. The paper will also be glossy stock and the book hardbound with two lovely book marks, one for the lesson of the day for those studying the Master Course and the other for whatever seciton you might be reading through. Accolades have been pouring in from reviewers of the early edition bound galleys and we will be posting these on the web in the days to come.

If you would be interested in being notified as soon as the book is ready for distribution in the USA, please send and email to: books@hindu.org. We will let you know the moment it is ready to ship.

12 Glorious Days, 8 Enchanting Countries and One Chance in a Lifetime! Imagine spending 12 days with one of the greatest spiritual leaders of this century. Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami will be leading this exotic educational and spiritual voyage himself combining the mystical path of Indian spirituality with a superlative retreat from it all. Take advantage of this one chance to be in close proximity with a living master. Come with us on an inner and outer voyage to Northern Europe and Russia. www.innersearch.org