Kauai Aadheenam

Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami gives his weekly upadesha in Kadavul Temple at Kauai’s Hindu Monastery in Hawaii. It is part of a series of talks elaborating on the inspired teachings of Satguru Śivaya Subramuniyaswami as found in his book Merging With Śiva.

“The Self is so simple. You have to be so simple to realize the Self, not simple-minded, but so unattached. Awareness has to be able to move so nimbly through the mind, like a graceful deer going through the forest, so deftly through the mind, that none of the sticky substance of the mind, so to speak, sticks onto awareness and holds it steadfast for a period of time. And only with that agility can you move awareness in quickly to the Source, in on itself, until you come out having realized the Self. It is an experience you come out of more than go into.

One of the stories being assembled for the next issue of Hinduism Today, January 2025, is the traveling outdoor art exhibition called the Great Elephant Migration.
It is created by Elephant Family USA, a charity that works to protect Asian wildlife. One hundred life-size elephant sculptures are traveling across the USA over a one year, one month period to raise awareness and funds for conservation projects. The elephants are made of Lantana camara, the second most invasive species in the world which is toxic to humans and elephants. This fast-growing shrub has taken over 40% of forests in India, thus diminishing food sources for animals and forcing them to seek sustenance in urban areas. Stay tuned for the full story.

The heavily used back road going towards the new Siddhidata Kulam building has a culvert to channel downslope rainwater. It’s easy for gravel and debris to be pushed off the road and start blocking the culvert. To prevent this, and also for the safety of vehicles crossing the narrow space, a thick cement barricade was created on the edge. The other side is being prepared for the same.

In the new Siddhidata Kulam building office, SSC sishya Easvan Param was just here with a team to install electrical materials for the office and also plan for a solar panel installation on the roof. After he finished, our employees and monks are just finishing installation insulation in all the walls.