Blog Archives
September 27, 2001
Gurudeva's Statement -- Attack on America
Daily after our meditation we have the blessing to have Gurudeva speak to the whole monastery and answer questions. We also chant Shum and Gurudeva gives guidance for our daily lives. "Simplify" has been a current theme, something all of us can do, to free up "mental real-estate" for spiritual activities and inner growth.
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We took our camera and went up to the Pilliyar Kulam office. Here is Sannyasin Muruganathswami, one of our more senior monks. He takes care of important matters relating to Gurudeva's books distributors throughout the world, monastic travel arrangements, web sales and more. Here he is reviewing a recent Himalayan Academy Publications catalog that will be sent out to thousands. The new feature of course is the Master Course Trilogy. The color version of Living with Siva will be available soon! In the background is Sadhaka Adinatha who has been handling our Hinduism Today subscription department.
This is the Pilliyar Kulam (Kulam means "family" and "Pilliyar" is one of the names of Lord Ganesha) office which is our humble information center at the front of our property.... from here people come in to the monastery and temple.
We have been having incredible weather recently, light showers, interspersed with sunshine... the plumerias love it.
Here a bromiliad bursts open with a magical frond of "flowers."
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Each new course begins with Shanmuga Sthapati drawing out the positions of the stones on the previous course and marking the numbers. Here he has marked the position of course five stones on the top of course four stones that are in position. In turn he works from a master plan made by the master architect, V. Ganapati Sthapati, that numbers each stone. In India, as the stones are carved they are marked with numbers that match the drawings. When they arrive on Kauai, the silpis then go around, find the stones with correct numbers for the course and these are all lifted up one by one and the jointing begins.
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transcription begins
Date: September_09_2001
Title: The Dharma of the Brahmacharini
Category: Family
Duration: 2 min., 59 seconds
Date Given: July 03, 2001
Today the subject is 'The Brahmacharini'. There are many young ladies and older ladies, who have lived the family life through the lives of other people and decide not to participate in the family life. They take the vow to transmute the vital energies into higher spiritual realms.
In the Catholic Church, they would be called nuns. In the Buddhist religion, they would be nuns. But in the Hindu religion, it is a little broader concept, they take the position in life of the widow. This is a self-imposed, spiritual discipline. They become widows and and follow the protocol of the widow. This means, they wear white, they relate only to the women of the household, not the men. They always remain in the background. This means, if guests come into the home they retire to the kitchen. In the temple, they sit behind all the married ladies and single ladies, so that the married and single ladies don't see a lady in white, which would then make them worry that maybe their husband would pass on.
Brahmacharinis are part of the family community unless they choose to enter a monastery run by a Guru, who is a brahmacharini. Then of course, they are part of her family. The brahmacharini being part of the family community, the men of that community would only speak to them, through their wives. They don't attend samskaras, religious ceremonies, social events. They do simple service for the religion and are respected as very saintly people by the family community.
The exact same protocol of the brahmacharini is observed by the brahmachari, the man who has taken celibate vows. He relates to the men of the community. The exact same protocol exists for the brahmachari as for the brahmacharini.
Aum Namah Sivaya!
transcription ends
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Due to the horrific tragedies of September 11th, Himalayan Academy has indefinitely postponed the Canadian Innersearch scheduled to leave next July. Please be assured, we will re-schedule the Innersearch, but only when the present insecurity around the world settles down. Until then, if you are planning to go on a future Innersearch program with Gurudeva, continue to set aside a little income each month in a special fund. |
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