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Gurudeva was often called a “Rishi” in view of his powerful “bringing down from the heavens” the vision of Hindu culture and life and making it manifest in our lives. He also made active use of the Vedic yagna, the fire ceremony, just as the Rishis did, a millenium ago to bring about an opening between the three worlds.
Our Beloved and Revered Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami
Attained Maha Samadhi on November 12th, 2001
Click to read for Details.
Click here to read
Gurudeva’s statement on September 11th
Last night and today we have been experiencing those torrential rains that help Mount Waialeale live up to its reputation as the wettest place on earth. There is always a great power in the air at these times. As Bodhinatha said at lunch today: “Just as we have a sacred point where two rivers meet we also have a sacred confluence here on our land where the stream that goes through our property meets the Wailua River.”
Cybertalk: Arun Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi’s grandson, recently visited the
Aadheenam and also held an event on Kauai honoring the “Season of
Nonviolence.” What struck Bodhinatha as most interesting was when his wife
spoke for a few minutes and told everyone how her husband Arun has never
even raised his voice to her or their children in the 45 years they’ve been
married. That shows how the philosophy is working in their lives; it’s not
just something to talk about.
Title: Arun Gandhi on “Season of Nonviolence”
Category: Good Conduct
Duration: 3 minutes, 56 seconds
Date Given: March 11, 2002
Given by: Bodhinatha
Cybertalk: Arun Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi’s grandson, recently visited the
Aadheenam and also held an event on Kauai honoring the “Season of
Nonviolence.” What struck Bodhinatha as most interesting was when his wife
spoke for a few minutes and told everyone how her husband Arun has never
even raised his voice to her or their children in the 45 years they’ve been
married. That shows how the philosophy is working in their lives; it’s not
just something to talk about.
Cybertalk Ends”
For more information about listening to Gurudeva’s talks online and to hear them in other formats, click here.
And click here for an Index to All Past CyberTalks.
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Bodhinatha will be happy to hold “Prasnottara Satsang” — “Questions and Answers” over the telephone with any Hindu religious societies, Hindu youth groups, Radio talk show hosts etc. All you need is a phone with a speaker and an enthusiastic audience. Arrangements may be made in advance by sending email to Sadhaka Mahadevan
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Here is the Nepali Ganesha that lives at the entry way to the monastery Kadavul Hindu Temple.
Last evening a special puja was held in the Guru temple in honor of Yogaswami’s Maha Samadhi day. Every year when the Sun is in Pisces and the Moon is in the star of aslesha special puja is conducted to invoke Yogaswami around the world.
Someone recently asked Bodhinatha by email: “If Gurudeva was my Guru and he passed away and now you are his successor, does that mean I have two Gurus?”
Bodhinatha responded: “Well, I guess so, but why stop at two, before Gurudeva was Yogaswami, and before Yogaswami was Chellappa and before Chellappaswami was Kadaitswami…. so all are your Gurus, all the way back to Siva… now that is something to think about!”
While the rain has been intermittent at the Aadheenam, several miles above us on the mountain the downpour continues. It always swellls the Wailua river to incredible power like the mighty Ganga in spate. The powerful waters literally roar in our ears.
It’s is always an exciting moment and ever as fresh as the last time when we take a walk down our “Pali path” to get close to the rushing river.
As we descend we can turn and look up at the stream that is full of water that passes through the Aadheenam. We are so blessed… this water you see here actually originated farther up the Wailua river where a diversion sends it to a reservoir and then over to the monastery land. I always feel this stream tumbles joyfully back down the slopes, happy to rejoin his “mother” , the sacred Wailua….
Here we have reached waters edge. Last night at midnight twice this much water was pouring through the small falls which is nearly covered now. The pool before us is nearly 300 feet deep and was probably a lava tube millions of years ago when the volcano, still active on the big island of Hawaii, created this island of Kauai.
Leaving the pool the water takes a turn toward the southeast and speeds on toward the ocean…. reminding us always of that great Hindu teaching that Gurudeva so often drew upon…that all things are returning to merge in the ocean, and that all our experience is also just the River of Life, which if we can flow along with it, will take us to merge with Siva.
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transcription begins
Date: November_23_1998
Title: Lord Siva, Hindu Lineages
Category:
Duration: 7 min., 43 seconds
Date Given: November 23, 1998
Today at Kauai Aadheenam. November 23. It is a Monday here on the Garden Island of Kauai. Yesterday evening was a very stormy evening, a lot of wind and rain.
I really enjoy giving a reading of two or three chapters of ‘Merging with Siva’ each day. I think we are going to put them on CDs and make them available for you and everyone. We also planned a video series on ‘Contemporary Hinduism’. There will be eight half-hour series, and I think you will enjoy them when it comes out. It is based around ‘Dancing with Siva’, ‘Living with Siva’, and ‘Merging with Siva’. We are just beginning a new edition of ‘Living with Siva’. It will be the Sutra and the Bhashya. 365 Sutras, and 365 explanations on what the sutra really, really means.
Have you ever wondered about Lord Siva? Who He is? Well, He is a personal God. In the Sivaloka, Siva has a form. He has eyes and a nose and a mouth and ears. He perceives and He creates. He is also all-pervasive energy. He pervades the universe, like the glue that holds the universe together. He is also timeless, formless, spaceless, beyond the beyond.
You are a miniature Siva. You have a form. You have eyes. You have a nose. You have ears, arms, legs, hands, fingers.
You also have an all-pervasive energy. To realize that yourself, is called Satchitananda. You also are timeless, formless, spaceless. That is the highest realization you can have on this planet earth, Parasivam. Nirvikalpa samadhi. The ultimate of the ultimate, of the beyond of the beyond.
There is one thing Lord Siva cannot do however. With all His powers, He cannot take Himself out of you. He cannot remove His energy from your physical body, from your pranic body, from your astral body or your emotional body, from your mental body, or from your intellect, or from the body of your soul. He cannot do that. Siva is within you. You are within Siva.
A question from San Diego again and greetings to you. We have been asked to explain why Hindus don’t go to Christian churches.
This is because Hinduism is sectarian and non-sectarian, is broad and loving to all because we believe in ‘One God, One World’. Yet, we believe in something called sampradaya, a definite line of teaching that is awakening the soul into the realization of itself, and must not be diluted with other lines of teachings that are also awakening the soul into knowledge of itself. We can’t employ two methods and get an expected result. Therefore, if one is a Vaishnavite, he follows the Vaishnavite teachings. If one is a Smarta, he follows the Smarta line of knowledge and teaching. If one is a Saivite, he follows our particular line of teaching. It is so strict within the four denominations in Hinduism that a proper devotee is not supposed to even read a book on another lineage, another denomination.
Comparing this to the Christian church, Protestants don’t read Catholic information and Catholics don’t read the teachings of the Protestants. Why? It would mix up and confuse the subconscious mind of the individual who did so. Generally, professors of religion are not religious people in their own right because they know too much about all the religions of the world to explore for themselves and their own transformation, their own chosen religion. This creates the universalistic consciousness. The universalistic consciousness really has nothing at all to pass on to the next generation. It is too broad in context, and often conflicting ideas are there in the subconscious of the individual who accepted the rightness of the idea when he studied it.
Therefore, the true Hindu, or those who wish to convert into Hinduism, like you do, should choose your denomination within Hinduism. Stick to it. Don’t deviate one way or the other. Transform yourself through the practices within the tradition you have chosen.
Hope this answers your question. If it doesn’t, please send me another e-mail. We’ll pursue it again, in just a few days.
Well, I will be seeing each and everyone of you in cyberspace at our Cyberspace Ashram tomorrow. We will look forward to seeing you and opening our doors of our mind, our heart, and our emotions to lovingly accept your presence. Darshan means to see and to feel at the same time. Through cyberspace, looking out through your computer at you, through a psychic sense, we can see you, and you are tuning in to me. We are communicating on a deeper level, possibly more than if we were sitting in the same room together. So again, I’ll be seeing you, and you’ll be seeing me tomorrow. Tune in to our Cyberspace Ashram.
transcription ends
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MORE UPLIFTING THINGS |
Innersearch 2002 in Hawaii!
Our next Innersearch Travel-Study program will be held right here on the island of Kauai in the summer of 2002. It’s the first such program on the Garden Island since 1974! From July 17 to July 22 we will enjoy daily classes with the swamis, join in the annual Guru Purnima festival, be inspired by local culture, explore the lush tropical island in exciting and non-touristy ways, and more. Be prepared for a wonderful spiritual experience in paradise with meditations, seminars and sacred ceremonies at the Siva temple of Kauai’s Hindu Monastery. Many have applied already, and there is a limit of 50 participants, so we recommend everyone apply as soon as possible. Interested? Please request an application from pilgrim@searchbeyond.com |
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Check our children and youth section for new items for the young and young at heart! | |
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1. SIGN OUR GUESTBOOK and receive a FREE GIFT |
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| 2. Newest Book: LIVING WITH SIVA | ||
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3. Visiting KAUAI’S HINDU MONASTERY |
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4. Contribute to THANK YOU, GURUDEVA FUND |
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From Our Gurus' Teachings
Archives are now available through 2001. Light colored days have no posts. 1998-2001 coming later.
