Our Bodhinatha is back from travels and joined us in the temple for Sun One homa. We are in the middle of a series of astrological “deep inner” days… as we approach the full moon of Thai Pusam and the vibration of the Aadheenam is very actinic.

Our special guests today, Dr. Shan Shanmugavadivel from Toronto – President of World Saiva Council, Canada Branch and the new Secretary General for the Saiva Council worldwide. He was in Sydney, Australia with Bodhinatha at the conference and is stopping by here at the Aadheenam on the way home with his wife. He is a dentist by profession with a keen dedication to Saivite culture and tradition.

Here he chats with Sivakatirswami about the Natchintanai song book project and Swami asks him about some interesting transliteration issues: “Some say “c” in Tamil is to be pronounced as “ch” and other say it should be pronounced as “s” … which is it?” Dr. Shan is from Sri Lankan and there is not question. “S” is correct…

A lifetime subscriber to Hinduism Today, he tells Arumugaswami that he feels the educational sections which convey the basics are very important….

A switch from the natural world of plants… we take you to our carpentry shop were we are beginning to utilize some lumber that was milled from a fallen tree years ago. This is a very beautiful blue gum mahogany “Rainbow Eucalyptus” … very, very hard wood, that has cured and is now going into use in the “Java Cafe…”

Taking raw lumber and turning it into finished boards is a big job and the first thing you do is plane both sides to a smooth finish.

Then next, you have to have a least one straight edge. Thanks to this simple but ingenious invention called the EZ Smart Guide System by “Dino the Carpenter” a wonderful Greek Craftsmen… it is doable.

You clamp on this long guide and you have a special face plate on a skill saw and away you go. It is a simple and innovative invention. In a few minutes, the heart of a tree has a perfect straight edge….

These fine planes are kept in a closed cabinet to reduce dust and moisture.

Sharp tools are a key to good wood working. This slow moving large radius grinding wheel gets you 95% of the way with just a minimum hollow grind. Then you finish off on a flat surface.

More pictures from Innersearch by Ganga Sivanathan.

On our way from Te Anau to Wellington, we stopped in Queenstown where we boarded a Skyline Gondola that took us to the top of a mountain with spectacular views over the city and surrounding areas. At the top of the mountain we all either shopped, went lugeing, admired the views, took photos or/and went bushwalking.

Bodhinatha, a keen walker, was able to fit in a tough 30 minute walk before our lunch.

After a lot of fun and a tremendous lunch in Queenstown, we flew to Wellington on the North Island. The next day we boarded a train bound for Aukland via a 13.5 hour trip through the mountains. It was a unique experience with excellent views and train staff that pointed out the many highlights on our journey.

Rudi talking to Saravananathaswami. Rudi looks so serious here he must have been talking to swami about a black rock.

In our discussions on meditation and concentration in Palaniswami’s classes we had decided to write a book called “50 thoughts on a black rock”. Many ideas were brainstormed and fleshed out over dinners. Just as Gurudeva liked to use every moment for something productive, to create reality out of dreams and to go above and beyond what we would normally expect, so this idea grew and grew, taking shape and form. Rudi was one of the leaders of our discussions and creator of ideas. It was also a lot of fun.

My notes from one of Bodhinatha’s classes say “Bring ideas; support ideas of others; make sure that everyone’s ideas are heard; end up with a better and greater idea based on all inputs.” We truly put that to work during our book discussions.

All aboard! Notice the early morning start! Yes this is am, not pm.

Chudika greets the day as every Innersearcher does, with a great smile.

All settled in. The train had a cafe carriage, an indoor observation area and an outdoor observation deck.

We had our own carriage, and being together for so long allowed us to finalize the organization of a present for Bodhinatha to demonstrate our appreciation for his wonderful teachings and discussions. Every Innersearcher was so generous that we soon achieved our goal, and the card was also signed during the afternoon. On the last day of Innersearch, we presented to Bodhinatha a picture of the latest, greatest and fastest Mac laptop. It will be purchased when he returns to Kauai, and we hope to see a photo of it on TAKA soon!

For lunch we were treated to a picnic high in the mountains where the view was fantastic.

Shivani Rajan

Sheila Young, a person with fantastic depth and great stories.

Then back onto the train to arrive in Aukland later that evening.

Sadhaka Nilakantha

Sadhaka Jivanandanatha

Jnanideva Cevvel.