Blog Archives
Gurudeva speaks in Kadavul Temple before the Crystal Sivalingam.
Our Beloved and Revered Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami
Attained Maha Samadhi on November 12th, 2001
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Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami at the lunch hour listens to news from the kulam departments and then from others. It is also a time for our monk hosts to tell everyone who the guests and pilgrims were that day. This is a very important time and all monks are required to be present, even if they might be fasting on that day. Gurudeva also encouraged all families to make sure the whole family gets together daily if possible for a similar time together. At the very least the observance of “Family Home Evening” each week is a mandatory practice in our global satsang of sishya… a time when family members and extended family members who live in the vicinity, get together, share their concerns, lives, sort out issues, sing together and keep the all important flow of positive loving pranas strong between all family members.
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5:30 AM in Kadavul temple… the day begins with an arati to Lord Ganesha, followed by the arati to Lord Muruga.
Then everyone is seated for the half-hour Siva puja that goes until about 6 am, followed by an hour meditation in the Guru temple. This daily routine is the anchor of our lives and one of Gurudeva’s “iron” disciplines in the sense that he felt this was the crux of spiritual life and unless one was really ill attendance was mandatory… daily worship and sadhana, five times a week. The rule of the monastery is if someone does not show up for the morning sadhana because of illness (which is rare) they are required to stay in their quarters, or walk the grounds, to rest and take care of themselves and they may not work in their normal departments that day. Thus, performance of the sadhana is a daily pre-requisite to service.
Bharat Patel family from Chicago. Mr. Bharat and his wife has been to the monastery for the last five years. This year he brought his two sister in laws, Trupti (in white sarong) and Usha (far right) and her daughter (red shirt) The little girl is Bharat’s daughter, Amol. Amol’s mother, Mrs. Patel, is taking a break at the condominium with her brother.
Pratish Patel and his wife from Anaheim, CA. It is their first time to Kauai. Pratish said that he typed up Hindu temples in the US in an internet search engine and our monastery was listed. Surprised to find that a Hindu monastery existed here on Kauai, he had to come with his wife for a visit.
We take a bright sunny walk around the property today… here is our collection of mini-cacti placed in a circle of lava rocks.
You can see the cactus planting there on in the middle between the two paths. All the many years of planting trees, shrubs and numerous other species are finally bearing fruit as these have all matured to the point where we have the feeling of walking through a botanical wonderland. In fact the Aadheenam property is gaining a reputation as one of the “secret” special gardens on the island, along side the “official” ones, such as the National Botanical Gardens, Allerton Gardens and Lumuhai Gardens.
Our collections of palms and other trees are beginning to tower and provide much needed shade that was lost ten years ago when the hurricane topped off or completely destroyed all our trees.
The temple work continues as the 12th course stones are moving into place. They will not all be precisely set, but all of that course will be on display when the Guru Purnima festival begins in a few days.
This morning as the silpis walked in to begin work… Paramacharya Palaniswami asked Shanmugam Sthapati if any special work was going to be done today. Sthapti said, “No.” But, then, with a twinkle in his eye he said, “But, when you are building a temple, every day is a special day!”
We tend to focus a lot on publications and cyber space news here, but a lot more goes on at the monastery than meets the eye. Our Siddhidata Kulam works the grounds every week on a schedule. Here they are with their tools and tool cart. When festival time approaches, it is an opportunity to really spruce up the whole place. They really enjoy their work outside in the fresh air and sunshine in paradise!
This is Kartikkeya Katir who is 12 years old. He is here on a 12 day task force program and is assigned to the Siddhidata Kulam as a helper. This is great break from school! We asked him if he was going to stay for a couple of months… he said “No, I wish I could though!”
Weedwackers, machetes, rice cutters and rakes are the main tools. The flora of a tropical island is unrelenting in its growth and delivery of plant matter back to the earth. It’s a big job to try to keep up with it!
Acharya Kumarswami when he is not crafting Gurudeva’s books can usually be found in our state of the art carpentry shop. He will be working tirelessly in off hours on one thing or another, an improvement to the shop itself, or any one of many projects.
His current focus is the new shrine for Gurudeva that is being built in Kadavul temple. With our combination saw (table saw, planer, jointer, shaper, morticer… all in one) sanding machine, chop saws, band saw, drill press and all the efficient work tables he has built, three of four monks can be found here on retreats working on one thing or another: bee boxes, archway for an underground cave, speaker stands. We are now even able to utilize some of the fine woods grown on our own property.
This is a very fine combination saw from Italy. We were surprised to learn from instruction videos that some carpenters work to a precision of 100th’s of an inch in their work with these fine tools.
The new shop was built with an outdoor feel, with open sides and a roof that allows light through, its a very pleasant place to work.
We want to thank the anonymous benefactors who contributed to this wonderful addition to Kauai Aadheenam by providing much of this equipment as a gift. And also for the complete electrical installation which was also a gift. With out these we would simply not be able to accomplish the kind of renovation needed in our 80-year-old monastery buildings (built in the late 1920’s). Thank you!
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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.
