Today at Kauai Aadheenam

Total Surrender, Part Four

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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.

“Once a person rises in consciousness out of the chakras below the mūlādhāra, and the foundation of bhakti has been laid, then going into refined states of mind through meditation becomes easy. This is because devotion has removed the barriers. Those who love each other can communicate easily. The devotee who has reverence for a temple and devotion for the Gods within it can communicate easily with those Gods. Bhakti yoga is love on all levels of consciousness—physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. Bhakti yoga makes us feel good. When in a state of bhakti yoga—yoked with the Divine through love—meditation is natural, and one can “soar within” with ease. There are no barriers where love is concerned.“

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Cutting Through Karma, One Mower at a Time

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  • Sivanadiyar does the arati
  • The new mower
  • Arinien invokes Lord Ganesha
  • Jai Ganesha!
  • The mower is ready to use!

Aum Namah Sivaya!

The Monastery grounds are now easier to manage, thanks to the arrival of our new ride-on mower. This powerful machine will tackle the many acres of grass that need regular attention. Sivanadiyar Arinien performed a simple Puja in front of the Hale Hana Ganesha shrine. Holy ash, Sandel wood paste, kumkum and flowers were devotionally placed on the mower. The Cub Cadet mower is a welcome addition to the Siddhidatta Kulam’s equipment, and we’re looking forward to seeing the benefits of its efficient cutting capabilities.

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Happy Jayanti Satguru!

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  • Satguru stands across from Iriavan temple in the nearby sacred garden

Aum Namah Shivaya!

Today is Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswamis 84th Jayanti! Later today, monks will prepare a special meal consisting of Satguru’s favorite dishes. Below is included a inspiring talk given by Satguru inside Kadavul temple in 2011.

His talk is about the continuity of effort between our inner and outer life. There aren’t two of us, so the concentration and willpower we bring to meditation should carry into school, work, and everything we do. Meditation doesn’t end when we open our eyes, and control of the mind throughout the day is cumulative.

It’s about paying attention to what we’re doing and finishing what we start. The more we’re interested in something, the more energy we draw out to do it, and it seems effortless. Starting impulsively and then stopping before we finish creates a negative pattern in the mind.

It’s about meeting life with less emotional reaction. The biggest way to have difficulty handling something is to label it a problem. It’s just the next thing to do, and each challenge we meet strengthens our willpower. That is how we are able to go within more deeply.

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Jai Returns on Taskforce

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In the early morning Jai attends the morning monk siva puja.

Aum Namah Śivaya!

Recently, Jai returned to the taskforce program for several weeks. While he participates daily with seva, working alongside swamis and sadhakas in the Siddhidatta Kulam. So far, he has helped with digitally inventorying heavy equipment and machinery onto our maintenance server.

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Continual Clearing of the Sacred Grounds

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  • Pradeep easily move sections of the fallen palm
  • His big excavator makes clean up fast
  • More fallen palms are extracted
  • Pradeep uses the machine to clear both sides of the road
  • Camphor logs
  • Blue gum and camphor logs await future milling

Aum Namah Sivaya!

Recently, Pradeep and his team were continuing to clear fallen trees from other parts of the monastery property. Today we share photos of an enormous palm tree being cleared by a large excavator operated by Pradeep. The road these palm trees once grew on was the major path down to Iraivan temple. Clearing this area reopens a major throughway for monks and devotees. Nearby, fallen wild hardwoods were removed; they will be saved for future carpentry projects. These logs were perfectly straight, measuring twelve feet long and had a wide enough diameter to be milled into usable lumber. Once these blue gum eucalyptus and camphor trees are milled, they will spend many years curing before they can be used for future construction. The monks are grateful to find ways to use trees that fall on the monastery’s sacred grounds.

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Shreyas’ Seva Continues

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  • Shreyas digs a trench
  • The screen is very damaged
  • Pebbles, the garden duck (not to be confused with Bubbles the white duck)
  • Shreyas enjoys working with his hands
  • Here he disassembles the pallets

Jai Ganesha!

Not long ago, Taskforcer Shreyas spent his day cultivating his gardening and carpentry skills. He served in the monastery garden, removing soil around the footings of one of the high-tunnels. This high-tunnel was used for growing zucchini and summer squash year round. However, the hurricane damaged the screen of the structure, making it unusable until repaired. In order to replace the side screen, a small trench was dug near the high tunnel. Shreyas also disassembled a large wooden pallet that was used to ship some equipment to the monastery. The wooden 2×4’s he saved will be used for numerous projects in the future.

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