More pictures today from Mauritius… here is Bodhinatha diving deep within during a temple ceremony…

Rudy and Dora Tanzi who visited here in March are back to see us again. Both are professors of neurology at Harvard Medical School and on their last visit to Kauai they learnt about Gurudeva.

After visiting the monastery they started to read Gurudeva’s Master Course and now enjoy it very much. They both will be joining Bodhinatha on the Innersearch to Australia and New Zealand in January. Why don’t you come and join them?

Incidentally they arrived in March on the day our calf Anu was born so today they brought a bag of bananas for the whole family.

And Anu and family were more than happy to see them….and the bananas!

Tyler Comer is here from Jefferson City, Tennessee on a three month task force program… This phase he is spending the morning with the publications team. Today he’s helping Acharya Kumarswami with some research on the next insight section.

Tyler wants to send a big “Aloooha!” out to his mother, Rhonda.

Tyler just turned 20 years old this month, and is working to earn money for college.

This is a big smile for our Amma Rhonda!

Tyler has been studying the teachings for several years and has expressed interest in monastic life.

We carry on with our retrospective series from the beautiful island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean.

On September 19, Sat Guru Bodhinatha was invited to give a Talk at the Arul Tharum Kali Parasakti Thava Sidhar kali Kovil at Chebel, Beau Bassin. The subject of the Inspired Talk was Worship: Home Shrine and Pilgrimage.

The chilly cold and windy evening did not discourage a large crowd to attend that special temple event. Here Bodhinatha alights from the car at the Temple entrance.

The temple priests are ready to traditionally welcome Bodhinatha with a Kumbam.

Bodhinatha is garlanded and everyone comes forward to greet the Satguru with all due respects

After parading around the Temple with traditional musicians leading the procession, Bodhinatha arrives at the Lord Ganesha’s shrine where an arati is conducted…

Lord Ganesha adorned with sandalwood paste…. According to Kulapati SK Moorghen the priest spent several hours on that day to make all the murthis of the temple look special for this Guru event!

Another arati at the Lord Muruga shrine…

A longer puja is done in the main Shakti sanctum and Bodhinatha and swami were invited to come inside the sanctum. After this prayer to the Goddess, the main priest led Bodhinatha out to the peedam…

Bodhinatha gets ready for His Upadesha. Before Bodhinatha addresses those present, various socio-Hindu religious leaders welcomed Bodhinatha in each of the Indian languages spoken in Mauritius: Hindi, Telugu, Tamil and Marathi. A welcome message was also read in sanskrit.

Many of our Church members turned up for this occasion too…

Bodhinatha’s Talk first emphasized on the home shrine: Bodhinatha said, “The family that prays together stays together. For Hindus , ideally this includes two practices. daily early morning worship in the home shrine as a family. Weekly worship at the local temple as a family.”

Kulapati SK Moorghen whose kutumba coordinated that Chebel temple event translated Bodhinatha’s Talk into creole, the island’s spoken dialect.

” … A point I like to stress that Hinduism is the only religion in which everyone can own their own temple and become the temple’s priest- the temple, of course is their home shrine which you can spiritualize or make feel like a temple through conducting daily puja in the home shrine.”

Devotees sat and listened carefully to the practical teachings of the Guru…

The Temple mandapam’s was full of devotees coming from various parts of the island…

Priest Umapathi is an ardent devotee of the Goddess who claimed having had visions of Her guiding him to build this new Temple in Mauritius. This priest also counsels in matters of vastu principles.

Bodhinatha is offered a small plaque by the Temple priests …

The name of Bodhinatha is inscribed on this temple plaque….A souvenir from Mauritius….

The Speaker of Mauritius Parliament was present at the event too…

The event ended with Bodhinatha blessing devotees coming forward and Bodhinatha offering them a printed copy of His Talk. On the whole is was a wonderful Temple public event and the Temple management really gave Bodhinatha a grand welcome.